This event will bring together leading experts and decision-makers on how to connect the humanitarian response with early recovery efforts and mitigate the severe socio-economic impact of the war in Gaza. With speakers from the public, private sectors and civil society, a special focus lies on the role of cross-cutting partnerships and innovative alliances to address the most urgent needs of the Palestinian people.

The discussion will be kicked off by high-level opening remarks and a keynote from Abdallah al Dardari, UN Assistant Secretary-General and UNDP Regional Director for Arab States, followed by a panel discussion and interactive Q&A with the audience.
The discussion will be based on the findings of the rapid assessment report "Gaza War: Expected Socio-Economic Impacts on the State of Palestine" which was released by UNDP in November last year.

The panelists will share their specific visions for Gaza's future.
Please join us a practical discussion on the current situation in Gaza and Israel and the prospects for reconstruction amidst the ongoing hostilities.

Background
The events following the 7 October attack by Hamas and the ensuing war declared by Israel have severely impacted the already critical humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, adversely affecting its over 2.2 million residents and pushing them to the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe. The war in Gaza has brought about unprecedented loss in human lives, with at least 34,622 Palestinians killed (out of which nearly 70% are women and children) and over 77,867 more injured, as of 3 May. The ongoing war has caused large-scale destruction and exacerbated pre-existing humanitarian needs, thus depriving Gazans of their basic human rights, including access to electricity, water and sanitation, healthcare, and education. At least 1.7 million Gazans (almost 75% of the entire population) have been forced to flee their homes and have become internally displaced. The estimated damage to built infrastructure in Gaza exceeds $18.5 billion, which is equivalent to 97% of the total GDP of Gaza and the West Bank combined, in 2022.

In addition to the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in the Gaza Strip, the war is having a profound impact on all economic activities and human development across the whole occupied Palestinian territory (oPt), as highlighted by UNDP and ESCWA in a joint rapid assessment and forecasts of the economic impact of the war in Gaza. According to the report, the Palestinian economy has lost an estimated 8.7 percent of its real GDP in 2023. If the war continues for nine months, the GDP loss could reach 29 per cent in 2024 and the poverty rate is projected to surge from 38.8 per cent to 60.7. It will bring a large part of the middle class below the poverty line, increasing the number of people living in poverty by an additional 1.86 million. Overall, the Human Development Index (HDI) for the oPt is estimated to have dropped from 0.716 in 2022 to 0.677 after six months of war, setting human development progress back by 17 years. If the war lasts nine months, the HDI could reach 0.647, setting back progress by more than 20 years.1

Objectives
This panel discussion aims to:
1. shed light on the immediate and longer-term socio-economic impact of the war in Gaza;
2. outline strategies for linking immediate humanitarian response with early recovery efforts;
3. discuss opportunities of cross-cutting alliances for humanitarian response and early recovery in Gaza, including partners from the public, private and NGO sectors.

While addressing critical humanitarian needs in Gaza is and will continue to be paramount priority, experiences show that advanced planning of early recovery interventions is critical to ensure effective operations as soon as conditions allow. When and where possible, transitional and early recovery interventions can quickly restore local systems, resume the delivery of basic services, and avoid further socio-economic collapse in a context of severe and multilayered instability. Considering the scale of needs, humanitarian and early recovery efforts for Gaza will likely be rolled-out in parallel for several months, which will require a well-coordinated response.

Guiding questions

Mr. Abdallah Al Dardari
UN Assistant Secretary General,
UNDP Assistant Administrator and Director of the UNDP
Regional Bureau for Arab States In March 2023, the UN Secretary General appointed Abdallah Al Dardari of Syria as the UN Assistant Secretary General, UNDP Assistant Administrator and Director of the UNDP Regional Bureau for Arab States. Al Dardari served as UNDP Resident Representative in Afghanistan since 2019, when joining from the World Bank, where he was a Senior Adviser and led the "Building for Peace" project that advanced a new approach to post-conflict reconstruction in the Middle East and North Africa region.

Mr. Al Dardari began his professional career as an international affairs writer and bureau chief for the Al Hayat newspaper and then went on to become an economist for the London Office of the Arab League. From 1994 to 1997, he served as UNDP Programme Officer in its Country Office in Syria and then joined the Arab Trade Financing Program/Arab Monetary Fund group as Chief of the Trade Promotion section. In 2003, he was appointed Chairman of the State Planning Commission in Syria until August 2005 when he became Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs. In 2011, he moved to the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) as Chief Economist and later, as Deputy Executive Secretary, where he led efforts to enhance global comprehension of conflict economics in the Arab region.

Al Dardari holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Richmond College in London, UK, a master's in international relations from the University of Southern California, US, and an interdisciplinary PhD in post-conflict reconstruction from Università Iuav di Venezia, Italy. He also studied international relations at the London School of Economics, UK.
He is fluent in Arabic, English and French, with an understanding of Russian and Turkish.

The Genron NPO
The Genron NPO is a non-profit, independent think tank based in Japan. Established in 2001 as the only venue in the country for responsible and future-oriented debate, The Genron NPO has sought to strengthen democracy in Japan, promote peace and stability in Northeast Asia, and develop solutions for pressing global issues. The institution was founded by Yasushi Kudo, the former editor-in-chief of a political journal titled "Ronso Toyo Keizai." The advisory board of The Genron NPO consists of 13 prominent Japanese leaders from various fields. The institution is representative of the Japanese intellectual network, with over 7,000 registered experts and more than 500 Japanese opinion leaders involved in its activities. The Genron NPO is a member institution of an international think tank network, the Council of Councils, since its establishment in 2012.

UNDP's Programme of Assistance to the Palestinian People (PAPP) UNDP's Programme of Assistance to the Palestinian People (PAPP) was established by a UN General Assembly resolution adopted on 20 December 1978, calling upon UNDP "to improve the economic and social conditions of the Palestinian people by identifying their social and economic needs and by establishing concrete projects to that end". Since its establishment, UNDP/PAPP has delivered more than $1.7 billion in programming across the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) in support of this mandate, including $380 million in the past years (2018 - 2023). As one of the largest UN agencies providing support to the Palestinian people through its strong technical capacities, UNDP/PAPP has 160 staff based in East Jerusalem, Gaza, and Ramallah.