Irish Aid Delegates Funds to AFD for Water Security in Gaza
published on 27 November 2019
On November 22, Rémy Rioux, AFD Chief Executive Officer, and Patricia O’Brien, Irish Ambassador to France, signed an agreement for the delegation of €8 million in funding to AFD to finance a water security project in the north of the Gaza Strip.
This agreement – the first of its kind – is part of a broader package totalling €45 million, jointly financed by AFD (€13 million), Irish Aid (€8 million) and the Green Climate Fund (€24 million).
Clean Water for Drinking and Agriculture
The project will set out to decontaminate groundwater and improve access to drinking water for the residents of the northern Gaza Strip. An irrigation network for treated sewage will be linked to the groundwater to facilitate purification and be used for agricultural purposes.
In all, the project will irrigate 1,500 hectares. It will benefit 4,200 people directly, and 200,000 people, indirectly.
The energy needed for operating the infrastructure will in large part be renewable and produced locally. The Irish component of the project allocates funding for the installation of solar panels over a surface area of 8.5 hectares.
A First
This bilateral fund delegation is based on Irish Aid’s recognition of AFD’s operating procedures.
Both agencies intend for this joint operation to be the start of a fruitful partnership – and the first of a number of new joint financing initiatives.
