LocationsUNDP Administrator Achim Steiner - Statement on Israel/occupied Palestinian territory
October 20, 2023
At UNDP we join the UN Secretary-General’s call today for two immediate humanitarian actions - unrestricted and sustained humanitarian access to allow life-saving aid into Gaza, and the unconditional release of hostages. To help realize these two appeals, the UN Secretary-General also called for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire.
The humanitarian situation and development outlook in Gaza were already dire before the current war and they will only deteriorate exponentially due to the fighting and forced displacement of hundreds of thousands of civilians. The consequent human toll will be immense.
In Gaza, recurring cycles of violence, physical destruction during successive rounds of hostilities, and demographic pressures have caused human losses and impacted all aspects of social and economic development. The current war, if allowed to persist, will be no exception and will prove more devastating.
The escalating humanitarian disaster in Gaza, which is enduring military attacks, a blockade and internal forced displacement, must stop.