National Early Recovery and Reconstruction Plan for Gaza 2014-2017_FINAL

27Beyond the right of Palestinians to have the free movement laid out in international law and agreements, unrestricted accessand movement is essential to the swift, efficient, and effective implementation of this Plan. The importance of this prerequisiteis underlined by the year-long delay of key interventions of the 2009 Recovery and Reconstruction Plan by an Israeli regime ofentry restrictions, clearance requirements for construction materials and equipment, and approval processes. A continuation ofthe current restrictions would significantly impede the progress – and impact – of the interventions described in this Plan. TheUN estimates that, if current restrictions on the entry of materials persist, it will take over 18 years to reconstruct the destroyedhousing units alone. This would be catastrophic for Gaza.As a result, this Plan calls for the swift entry of all required construction materials and commodities. The Government welcomesthe new UN proposal for facilitating imports for private and government projects as a positive step. But the easing of therestrictions is insufficient. The permitting, review, and control regime must be completely removed as an obstacle to both thereconstruction efforts required to ensure basic service provision as well as the ability of the Gaza economy to generate income,jobs, and opportunities for the population.2.4.2 Sufficient and Rapidly Disbursed FundingAt $4 billion, the total cost required for the recovery and reconstruction is three times the estimated cost after the 2008 assaultand equivalent to a third of the total GDP for the West Bank and Gaza combined.The Government faces a challenging fiscal position, resulting first and foremost from the ongoing Israeli occupation andrestrictions on movement and access and the Palestinian economy in general. The unprecedented level of damage of the latestassault requires an unprecedented level of financial support. Although the Government will strive to contribute its own financialresources, its constrained fiscal position means that it has no option but to look to local, regional, and international partnersto provide the necessary financial support for recovery and rehabilitation to be completed. It will be essential that this can bedisbursed quickly and efficiently and in line with the Government’s priorities, such that support, services, and infrastructure canbe delivered as quickly as possible to the people and businesses of Gaza.In line with the principle of Government ownership of the strategy and its implementation, and global commitments on aid anddevelopment effectiveness, this Plan calls on donors to maximize utilization of national systems. Such an approach will enablea more coherent, programmatic, and long-term approach to development, and lead to much greater Palestinian ownership ofthe process.2.4.3 Government Leadership and Effective Co-ordinationThis Plan targets all sectors, geographic areas, and institutions affected by the assault. The enormous scale of the damage, thebreadth and scope of activities required, and the number of stakeholders involved means that effective management and coordinationof the Plan’s implementation and financing will be critical to reaching targeted goals.In line with the guiding principles outlined above, the responsibility for overall implementation, coordination, and oversightof the early recovery and reconstruction process will rest with the Government. However, the implementation of the Planwill involve all key ministries and Government bodies, working across all levels of Government and in close cooperation withnumerous partners, including national development agencies, local and international NGOs, and the private sector.The Government will lead the coordination of all stakeholder efforts in order to avoid duplication of efforts, identify gaps, andoptimize the use of resources available, as detailed in Section 5.