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STORY: UN / MIDDLE EAST UNOPS PRESSER
TRT: 03:19
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 13 FEBRUARY 2025, NEW YORK CITY / FILE
FILE – NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, aerial view of the UN headquarters
13 FEBRUARY 2025, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, press briefing room
3. Wide shot, spokesperson at the podium, speaker on screen
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Jorge Moreira, Executive Director, United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS):
“The ceasefire has offered a much-needed respite, but there is simply no time to lose. Our hope has been that the ceasefire creates the conditions to ensure rapid, unhindered, and safe humanitarian access to provide relief for all.”
5. Wide shot, spokesperson at the podium, speaker on screen
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Jorge Moreira, Executive Director, United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS):
“6,000 personnel, and we stand ready to support the implementation of the ceasefire deal and to scale up the delivery of sustained humanitarian relief. We reiterate the call for a permanent ceasefire and the release of all hostages without delay.”
7. Wide shot, spokesperson at the podium, speaker on screen
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Jorge Moreira, Executive Director, United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS):
“The good news is that before the ceasefire, we were providing, on average, 100,000 liters per day, of fuel. Now, we are providing and distributing 1.3 million liters per day, which confirms as we always said: once the political conditions and one the security conditions would allow, we would be able to scale up and speed up delivery.”
9. Wide shot, spokesperson at the podium, speaker on screen
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Jorge Moreira, Executive Director, United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS):
“As I mentioned, we also manage the UN 2720 mechanism, which aims to expedite, streamline, and accelerate the process of providing assistance to Gaza and help ensure that aid continues to reach its civilian destination.”
11. Wide shot, spokesperson at the podium, speaker on screen
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Jorge Moreira, Executive Director, United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS):
“This mechanism as of 13 February, has facilitated close to 78,000 metric tons of aid being delivered in Gaza. Most importantly, 70 percent of all approvals, all consignments, have been processed in less than 24 hours.”
13. Med shot, journalist
14. SOUNDBITE (English) Jorge Moreira, Executive Director, United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS):
“In partnership with UN Mine Action, we mitigate the dangers of landmines and unexploded ordnance. As you imagine, this is particularly important in Gaza. An estimated 40 million tons of debris and rubble generated by the conflict—will take years to remove. Today, in my visit, I was astonished, very impressed, with the scale of devastation. And I’ve seen the footage, we have seen the footage, but there is nothing like seeing that directly.”
15. Wide shot, spokesperson at the podium, speaker on screen
16. SOUNDBITE (English) Jorge Moreira, Executive Director, United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS):
“40 to 50 million tons of rubble. And this rubble includes unfortunately human remains; it includes, unfortunately, unexploded ordnance. We are not just dealing with rubble; we are dealing with obviously a very complex situation.”
17. Wide shot, end of press encounter
“The ceasefire has offered a much-needed respite, but there is simply no time to lose,” said Jorge Moreira, Executive Director of the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), as he briefed reporters on the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
Speaking to the reporters at UN headquarters in New York today (Feb 13) via video call, Moreira underscored the urgency of maintaining access for aid delivery and called for a permanent ceasefire and “the release of all hostages without delay.”
Moreira highlighted the organization's efforts to support Gaza's recovery, describing the scale-up of fuel delivery as a critical achievement. “Before the ceasefire, we were providing, on average, 100,000 liters per day of fuel. Now, we are providing and distributing 1.3 million liters per day,” he said. “This confirms, as we always said: once the political and security conditions would allow, we would be able to scale up and speed up delivery.”
UNOPS, which manages the UN 2720 mechanism to facilitate aid delivery, has expedited the transport of nearly 78,000 metric tons of humanitarian assistance into Gaza. “Most importantly, 70 percent of all approvals, all consignments, have been processed in less than 24 hours,” Moreira said.
He also expressed concern about the complex and hazardous conditions on the ground, noting the presence of unexploded ordnance amidst massive amounts of debris. “In partnership with UN Mine Action, we mitigate the dangers of landmines and unexploded ordnance. As you imagine, this is particularly important in Gaza,” he said.
The conflict has left behind an estimated 40 to 50 million tons of rubble, a significant portion of which may contain human remains and dangerous explosives. “We are not just dealing with rubble; we are dealing with obviously a very complex situation,” Moreira said.
Reflecting on his visit to Gaza, he described the experience as overwhelming, “Today, in my visit, I was astonished, very impressed, with the scale of devastation. And I’ve seen the footage, we have seen the footage, but there is nothing like seeing that directly.”
Moreira reiterated the organization's readiness to continue its work in the region. “6,000 personnel, and we stand ready to support the implementation of the ceasefire deal and to scale up the delivery of sustained humanitarian relief,” he said.
