The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Press Conferences , Edited News | UNCTAD
UNCTAD Press Conference: Developments in the Economy of the OPT Report - 12 September 2024
Palestinian economy “in freefall” amid ongoing Gaza conflict - UNCTAD
Gaza’s economy has “collapsed months ago” while in the West Bank, violence and trade restrictions are fueling a massive surge in poverty and unemployment, UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) warned on Thursday.
The war-torn enclave’s economy has shrunk to less than a sixth of its 2022 level, while up to 96 per cent of its agricultural assets and 82 per cent of all its businesses have been destroyed, according to UNCTAD’s latest report.
“The Palestinian economy is in freefall,” UNCTAD deputy chief Pedro Manuel Moreno told journalists in Geneva. “The report calls for the international community to halt this economic freefall, address the humanitarian crisis and lay the groundwork for lasting peace and development.”
Mr. Moreno insisted on the need for a “comprehensive recovery plan” for the occupied Palestinian territory, as well as increased international aid, the release of withheld Palestinian revenues withheld by Israel and an end to the blockade on Gaza.
According to UNCTAD, in addition to “unprecedented loss of life” and displacement, the combined impact of Israel’s military operation in Gaza that followed the attacks of 7 October 2023 by Palestinian armed groups in southern Israel, and the conflict’s repercussions in the West Bank “delivered an unparalleled shock that overwhelmed the Palestinian economy across the occupied Territory”.
The Palestinian agricultural sector shrunk by 11 per cent in the last quarter of 2023, which is “especially worrisome” given the sector’s importance in terms of jobs, exports and food security, said Mutasim Elagraa, coordinator of UNCTAD’s programme of assistance to the Palestinian people.
“The agricultural sector is a shock absorber - whenever there's a crisis and Palestinian workers lose their jobs, whether in the domestic economy or with their work in Israel and settlements, they go back to agriculture temporarily, and there they can produce some income,” he explained.
UNCTAD stressed that in the West Bank, settlement expansion and increased settler violence, land confiscations and demolition of Palestinian structures are driving population displacement and record unemployment, with over 300,000 jobs lost since the beginning of the conflict in Gaza.
“It's the highest unemployment recorded for the West Bank,” said UNCTAD economist Rami Alazzeh “Even in the peak of the second Intifada, the highest we've seen is 28 per cent. In the first quarter of 2024, unemployment reached 35 per cent” – almost triple what it was prior to October 2023.
In Gaza, the situation is even more “extreme” UNCTAD said, with two thirds of pre-war jobs lost by January 2024 and the entire population of the enclave dependent on international aid.
“What's left in Gaza is basically the humanitarian support… the humanitarian aid workers, local UN staff, doctors, nurses, that's it,” Mr. Alazzeh said. “The economy basically collapsed months ago.”
Asked about prospects for an economic recovery once the guns are silenced, UNCTAD’s Mr. Elagraa warned that “if we want to return Gaza to pre-October 2023, we need tens of billions of dollars, or even more, and decades.”
-Ends-
Story: UNCTAD Palestine Report – 12 September 2024
TRT: 03’36”
SOURCE: UNTV CH
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 12 September 2024 - GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
SHOTLIST
- Wide shot of the press conference room with speakers on the podium.
- SOUNDBITE (English) Pedro Manuel Moreno, Deputy Secretary-General, UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD): “The Palestinian economy is in freefall. The report calls for the international community to halt this economic freefall, address the humanitarian crisis and lay the groundwork for lasting peace and development. This includes considering a comprehensive recovery plan for the occupied Palestinian territory, increased international aid and support, release of withheld revenues and lifting the blockade on Gaza.”
- Medium shot: Press room with journalists and control room at the back.
- SOUNDBITE (English) Mutasim Elagraa, Coordinator, UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Assistance to the Palestinian People: “The Palestinian agricultural sector in the last quarter of 2023 shrunk by 11 per cent, and that is especially worrisome because the agricultural sector provides a decent chunk of employment, and it produces income. It produces exports. It contributes to food security, and in Palestine it plays another special role. The agricultural sector is a shock absorber - whenever there's a crisis and Palestinian workers lose their jobs, whether in the domestic economy or with their work in Israel and settlements, they go back to agriculture temporarily, and there they can produce some income.”
- Close shot: Journalist in the Press room.
- SOUNDBITE (English) Rami Alazzeh, Economist, UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD): “Just to give you a comparison: in the peak of the second Intifada, in 2000 to 2002, the Palestinian economy lost 33 per cent of its value. And now we're seeing this drop over one year. Basically, it's the highest unemployment recorded for the West Bank. Even in the peak of the second Intifada, the highest we've seen is 28 per cent. In the first quarter of 2024, unemployment reached 35 per cent. So we're talking about almost triple what it was prior to October 2023.”
- Medium shot: Speakers at the podium in the Press room.
- SOUNDBITE (English) Mutasim Elagraa, Coordinator, UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Assistance to the Palestinian People: “The problem is general. It's in Gaza, in the West Bank and in East Jerusalem. It's not just Gaza. Although in Gaza, it is really extreme. It will take decades and high tens of billions of dollars, if not even more, to rebuild Gaza and put it back like where it was before October 2023. So if we want to return Gaza to pre-October 2023, we need tens of billions of dollars, or even more, and decades.”
- Medium shot: Speakers at the podium.
- SOUNDBITE (English) Rami Alazzeh, Economist, UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD): “What's left in Gaza is basically the humanitarian support. There's not much left in Gaza and when you say two thirds of the jobs were lost, already Gaza's unemployment before October 2023 was 45 per cent. So what's left in Gaza now is just the humanitarian aid workers, local UN staff, doctors, nurses. That's it. The economy basically collapsed months ago. So this is what's left in Gaza functioning now.”
- Medium shot: Journalist in the press room.
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | UN WOMEN
In Sudan’s El Obeid, women risk drone attacks by day and rape by night to access water
As war intensifies in the city of El Obeid in North Kordofan state, filling up a jerrycan of water comes at a high risk for women and girls: by day, drones strike water points and by night, women who venture out to fill a bucket risk rape. UN Women warns of a dual terror that has turned access to water into a deadly gamble.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights spokesperson Shabia Mantoo made the following remarks on stranded Hormuz seafarers abandoned for months at sea, at the bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | IFRC , OHCHR , UNHCR , WFP , WHO , UN WOMEN
UNHCR: 75 years of the Refugee Convention; UN Women: El Obeid, Sudan - drone attacks and sexual violence - no safety window for women and girls; WFP: Gaza operations update; OHCHR: Stranded Hormuz seafarers abandoned for months; IFRC: Urgent humanitarian needs in Venezuela, one month after devastating earthquakes; WHO PROTECT: drowning prevention strategies for policymakers
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
At the bi-weekly press conference in Geneva, Thameen Al-Kheetan, spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, and Danielle Bell, head of UN Human Rights’ Ukraine team, spoke of the deepening impact of the war on the civilian population.
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
At the bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva, UN Human Rights Spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan made the following remarks Intensified Israeli attacks in Gaza.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
DR Congo: Ebola outbreak continues to expand, WHO sees signs of stabilization
In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), UN health teams and partners are still racing to contain the rapidly expanding Ebola outbreak, despite ongoing insecurity in eastern areas where the virus has taken hold. As of 19 July, the DRC Government has recorded 2,423 confirmed cases, including 967 deaths and 469 patient recoveries.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | IOM , OHCHR , UNHCR , WHO
Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired a hybrid press briefing, which was attended by the spokespersons and representatives of the World Health Organization, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the United Nations Refugee Agency, and the International Organization for Migration.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights spokeperson Jeremy Laurence appealed for calm in Pakistan-Administered Kashmir amid a wave of unrest ahead of regional elections at the end of the month.
1
1
1
Edited News | WFP
UN humanitarians working in war-torn Sudan warned on Friday of growing dramatic needs among the more than 100,000 displaced people now sheltering in camps in the city of El Obeid. "We are providing even not the full food ration to the people, but even that reduced food ration is being shared by the recipients with other families, because they know that they don't have any other source of income," said World Food Programme (WFP) Sudan Country Director Abdallah Alwardat.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | IOM , OHCHR , UN WOMEN , WHO , WFP
WFP: Mass displacement from El Obeid as food stocks run low; IOM: Ebola outbreak in the East, Horn and Southern Africa region; OHCHR: Wave of unrest in Pakistan-Administered Kashmir; UN WOMEN: Report launch: Women on the Move in Europe and Central Asia
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
‘This is a fire’: DRC Ebola outbreak is fastest-growing ever, warns WHO
Infections of the Bundibugyo species of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have reached record highs and a majority of new cases are coming from “unknown chains of transmission”, the World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | UNHCR , UNOG , WHO
Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) in Geneva, chaired the hybrid briefing which was attended by spokespersons and representatives from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the World Health Organization.