On 2 December, the Hon. Michael Falzon, Minister for Social Policy and Children’s rights, led a delegation and represented Malta at the Cairo Ministerial Conference to Enhance the Humanitarian Response in Gaza. The conference was convened by the Government of the Arab Republic of Egypt and the United Nations under the auspices of H.E. Mr. Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt and H.E. Mr. António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations. The conference was co-convened by H.E. Dr. Badr Abdelatty, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Emigration and Egyptian Expatriates of the Arab Republic of Egypt, Ms. Sigrid Kaag, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza and Mr. Philippe Lazzarini, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA).

The conference was an important opportunity to reiterate the urgent need for an immediate ceasefire and address the root causes of the conflict by ending the occupation and establishing a fully independent, contiguous, viable, and sovereign Palestinian State, of which Gaza is an integral part, living side by side with Israel in peace and security within secure and recognized borders, on the basis of the pre-1967 lines, including regard to Jerusalem, on the basis of United Nations resolutions and international law. It brought together almost 100 representatives of states and international organisations at the highest levels some of whom announced pledges that addressed both immediate humanitarian needs and early recovery. In his statement, the Hon. Michael Falzon, expressed Malta’s gratitude to the Government of Egypt and the United Nations for hosting and organising this critical pledging conference and for bringing all representatives together. He recalled his participation at a similar conference in Amman, Jordan earlier this June and reaffirmed Malta’s unwavering humanitarian commitment to the people of Gaza during these devastating times. He also acknowledged Malta’s belief that UNRWA has a crucial role to play in responding to the acute needs of the civilian population in Gaza and announced a pledge of forty thousand (40,000) euros earmarked to its programme budget.