Shafaqna English- UN’s Women Chief of Humanitarian Action urges ceasefire in Gaza must bring safety for women and girls
“Every woman who rebuilds a bakery, a clinic or a classroom is rebuilding peace. Every dollar invested in women-led aid is a down-payment on hope,” said Sofia Calltorp during a press briefing at the Palais des Nations in Geneva.
“The data is very clear on this: When we invest in women, every $1 generates an $8 return for whole communities,” she added.
Calltorp warned that the needs of women and girls in Gaza “remain at an all-time high,” noting that more than one million women and girls require food aid, and nearly a quarter of a million need urgent nutrition support.
“This ceasefire is our window to deliver, to deliver fast, to stop famine where it has begun and prevent it where it looms,” she said. The UN’s official described the toll of the war on women and girls as devastating.
“For two years, women and girls in Gaza were killed at a rate of roughly two every hour. This number only defines the scale of this war, and it will haunt our collective conscience for generations,” Calltorp said.
She added that most women in Gaza have been displaced at least four times since the start of the war, describing the ceasefire as “their first chance to stop running, to find safety, and to rebuild.” “But winter is coming, and too many still have no shelter,” she said.
According to Calltorp, one in seven families in Gaza is now led by a woman.
Sources: Arab News