UNOPS

In this short video you will find a summary of my 4-days mission to #Afghanistan. Just left Kabul and already miss my amazing UNOPS team there. Their courage, dedication and sense of purpose - working in a very fragile context - to serve those most in need is remarkable.

Mission #Afghanistan - day 3 (Herat) and 4 (Kabul) In #Herat, Afghanistan: - I witnessed firsthand UNOPS response to the October 2023 earthquakes where 1500 lost their lives and 48 000 houses collapsed. Following our involvement on the rescue phase, we are now working alongside partners on the recovery phase conducting debris clearance amd recknstruction of houses, health facilities and water systems. - I met with the local communities and saw the impact of our UNOPS partnership with The World Bank on Community Resilience Livelihoods project in rural communities. In Herat it supports 32000 households with short-term employment opportunities with projects (roads, irrigation) that benefited 119 communities. - I visited the UNOPS project on Cold Storage unit which is part of the Herat Agricultural Value Chain Project funded by #Japan. Back to #Kabul for my last day of my mission: - I met with Japan🇯🇵 Ambassador Takeyoshi Kuramaya to discuss how we can expand on our work together. - Finnaly I held a town hall with my amazing team of UNOPS in Afghanistan. I witnessed their passion in supporting those most in need in Afghanistan through projects such as 1) #Awaaz Humanitarian call-centre; 2) Community Resilience and Livelihoods #CRL; 3) #Herat Earthquake Recovery project; 4) solar powered irrigation for Resilient Agriculture; 5) ADB verification project. And I witnessed the very difficult circumstances they face, particularly for women. Afghanistan is the most fragile country in the world (alongside 3 other countries) and it can’t become a forgotten crisis. 50% of the population lives in poverty conditions and the country has been devastated in the last decades by conflict, climate disasters and earthquakes. We stayed and delivered for those most in need, improving livelihoods, supporting disaster response and helping build resilience reaching millions of families. But let’s not forget that there is no development without women. That’s why this week in my meetings I strongly urged de-facto-authorities to allow girls to return to school and women to have access to all working opportunities. Nicholas George Nick Gardner Sanjay Mathur

Working in one of the most difficult contexts in the world, our colleague Megumi Uchino (she/her) is leading change and leaving an impact on the lives of Afghan communities.

𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗖𝗨𝗥𝗘𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧 | 15 May 📍Codeway Plenary 𝗥𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗨𝗡 𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮 𝗳𝗼𝗰𝘂𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁. Moderates: Mariacarmen Colitti, Representative to the EU, UNOPS 𝗔𝘁𝘀𝘂𝘀𝗵𝗶 𝗜𝗦𝗢𝗬𝗔𝗠𝗔, UNIDO, Chief, Procurement Services Gülgün Şahin, UNDP Rome Centre, Head of operations and procurement Silvia Uneddu, UNICEF, Senior Contracts Manager

Mission to Afghanistan - Day 1 and 2 In the last 2 days, joined by my colleague Sanjay Mathur (Regional Director Asia), I met with my fantastic UNOPS team in Afghanistan led by Nicholas George. I visited 2 important UNOPS projects: 1) Afghanistan’s first toll-free humanitarian hotline, Awaaz Call Center, managed by #UNOPS, partnering with 138 humanitarian agencies. With 412,000+ calls handled, reaching 2.5M individuals, and 9,700+ feedback cases, this is a lifeline to many who need it most. 2) Through a partnership between UNOPS and The World Bank, our Community Resilience and Livelihoods project in #Afghanistan has made a real difference, providing short-term employment and social grants in urban and rural areas, benefiting vulnerable households and whole communities. Today, in my visit, I could see the real impact of this project: ✔️Benefitted +14Million people over 10 cities, 29 provinces, 98 rural districts and 9000 communities 🛠️Created 33 million labour days for men and women. 🏠Supported more than 1.3M households I also met with Afghan civil society organizations. Committed to enhancing #UNOPS engagement, we recognize their crucial role . Their frontline insights help us better serve Afghan people’s needs. Together, we aim for more local solutions.

Last week, I visited Guinea Conakry to see the impact UNOPS has made on the health sector over the last ten years. We established our office in #Guinea amid Ebola outbreaks in 2014 and started supporting the Ministry of Health in responding to health emergencies. Our aim was to build health facilities and create a sustainable and inclusive healthcare system. Our strong partnerships with The World Bank (WB) and the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) made this possible. Together, we rehabilitated and built 45 health facilities in remote areas where local people had poor access to health services. Among them, four community treatment centres were instrumental in detecting and treating Ebola and COVID-19 cases, underscoring their importance in maintaining public health and safety. UNOPS is currently engaged in the construction and rehabilitation of 44 health centres across Guinea as part of the Post-Ebola project.  This IsDB-funded project aims to modernize and fortify healthcare services, addressing immediate needs and reducing mortality associated with communicable and non-communicable diseases in Guinea. A significant milestone in this project will be the opening of West Africa’s first public fertility clinic, the National Centre of Family Health and Human Reproduction, in Conakry. This development will play a crucial role in expanding access to fertility care and ensuring that this issue is no longer sidelined in the country. During my visit, I met with our longstanding partners and the Ministry of Health to reiterate our continuing commitment to support Guinea’s national health policy, emphasizing strengthening local health systems and community participation. I am super proud of the impact we have brought so far in Guinea and am committed to supporting our team in Guinea to build a healthier future for all. 

We’ve signed a new agreement with the government of Guatemala –  to help address gaps in essential healthcare services and strengthen universal health coverage for people across the country. "Our commitment is to support Guatemala in improving the quality of life of the users of the national public health network, through improving the supply, access and availability of timely health services," says Andrea Calvaruso, our Country Director in Guatemala https://bit.ly/3yhgvkV | #SDG3 

Through a new agreement with the government of Tuvalu and the The World Bank, we’ll help strengthen health service delivery for the people of Tuvalu. “This initiative will localize quality care and make health services more accessible to all Tuvaluans, especially for those on the outer islands. This project reinforces our joint commitment to Sustainable Development Goal 3 - ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all," said Sanjay Mathur, our Regional Director for Asia. https://bit.ly/4aVVkn4

Thanks to additional funding from The World Bank, we’ll work to further strengthen community resilience and support vulnerable Afghans – via one community-led project. https://bit.ly/3T8iBvv

The severe hostilities in Gaza have led to significant loss and damage. Critical infrastructure damage amounts to an estimated $18 billion – and around 23 million tonnes of rubble and unexploded weapons are now scattered across the Gaza Strip. Ongoing conflict and a pervasive threat of landmines and unexploded ordnance make conditions in Gaza all the more desperate – and hinder the safe delivery of humanitarian aid. With the United Nations family and local partners, we’re responding to the complex challenges posed by armed conflict. 🔗 https://bit.ly/44m0Fla