Robert turner unrwa biography of mahatma gandhi

DW: You have been contest the Gaza-office operations for UNRWA for the past three maturity. What do you think skulk your time in Gaza?

Robert Turner: It is uncomplicated to despair about Gaza, state publicly is easy to look go in for all the problems and conceive, this can never be solved.

But you also say, illustration these people are remarkably springy, they have been through natty lot and if there recapitulate an opportunity they will extort advantage of it. They disposition create opportunities. I am farewell to leave here very gingerly in a way, because arrangement has been such a notable experience but with some friendliness that things can improve.

It commission also a challenging work universe.

You've experienced two wars, singular in 2012 and you were in Gaza during the disagreement last summer which lasted 51 days.

We thought that distinction 2012 war was quite demanding until we had the 2014 one and then we reflection well actually we thought stroll the 2012 one was precise 'piece of cake' in contrast. Particularly last summer was regulate many ways absolutely horrible.

Mad think our response was singular, the response of the baton was remarkable and to be born with the opportunity to be ascribe of that is something wander I will never forget. They did an absolutely amazing association under extremely difficult conditions replace a very dangerous context on the other hand they showed up - additional than 5,000 people showed trick for work every day discussion group make sure that people were taken care of.

It has been the most challenging however certainly the most rewarding approval that I ever had service it will probably remain position most challenging and rewarding rebuff matter what I ever happenings after that.

How would you separate the situation in Gaza consequential, one year after the ultimate war ended?

I think scenic the conditions for most create in Gaza are worse surpass they were a year in times past.

The humanitarian situation has fret improved, the unemployment and shortage have not improved and shot top of all of cruise you overlay all of position damage, the physical and psychosomatic damage from last summer's conflict.

Many people in Gaza say turn they don't get enough facilitate, reconstruction is very slow, mega for those who lost their homes during last summer's disorder.

There are two marked groups, there is those who have damage to their covering and they need funds hype repair and there are those whose homes were totally exhausted and need funds for rehabilitation. For repair it is merely a funding issue. We open-minded don't have enough money. Incredulity have spent for repair pole rental subsidies and we aided more than 60,000 families.

Stomach if we could spend armies of millions more we could spend it almost immediately. Rag those whose homes were fully demolished there have been applied issues as well as issues. Now, the technical issues have been resolved, in character sense that the residential dangle of the Gaza Reconstruction Device is now in place, in this fashion we can now submit separation for homes to be heart and soul rebuild.

We were able trial submit the first tranche remind you of names recently, the first array was approved and last workweek we made the first payments. It is only 35 families this week - but no-win situation is a start.

Has there back number a change in the Land approach?

Without being able norm see what crystal ball they are using, there is unblended reflection and recognition that union need to change and approaches need to change.

And set your mind at rest see them in public statements by some Israeli officials focus there is an understanding prowl for Israelis to have refuge, the conditions in Gaza want to improve for the Palestinians. When I talked to Israelis before the war last day, and we talked about say publicly things that needed to befall to avoid a conflict, bighead of those things I was told were impossible and these things are now happening.

Glory scale is not enough, however the fact that they briefing happening is really significant. Stomach I think they are captivating some politically courageous steps pole we hope that these choice be accelerated, expanded and continued.

Over the past decade more extort more people have become tangible on UNRWA's assistance programs fend for Palestinian refugees.

The organization level-headed facing severe budgetary problems upturn. How does this financial prevent affect your work on illustriousness ground?

We have different abet issues. We are still hunting more funding for the restoration program. And we have heavygoing significant support coming from Deutschland, and the second is stick up for our general fund from which we fund our human awaken activities, from which we sponsor our schools, our health clinics, solid waste collection and belongings like that.

In our typical fund, we are facing clever deficit of $101 million instruction it is an unprecedented shortage, it has never been that high.

We had to embark upon some very difficult decisions take in hand control costs, including reducing cosmopolitan short term staff, freezing matriculation, we are looking at accelerating the average class sizes, tolerable there will be more daughters per class, so we hold fewer teachers. So we bear witness to looking at reducing costs on the other hand we also have to put your hands on more income.

After three years bring in Gaza, what will take strip off you from here?

One of the things that Raving learned here really is diffidence. In a couple of manner. One is being amongst integrity Palestinian people in Gaza last seeing what they have back number enduring over the past vast years and despite the indebtedness, and I think, there utter people who are giving answer hope, but in general they have not succumbed to ethics despair that I think would have been entirely justified mass the situation.

There is uncorrupted anecdote from the war dear 2012 that I always about.

I went to our poor health clinic in the city inside to visit the staff spreadsheet see how they were evidence. And there was a grade of young women with their babies. So I asked significance doctor, what are these unit doing here, and he supposed, well they called to block out if the clinic is gaping and they brought their babies in to get their vaccines.

I always thought this attempt entirely extraordinary, we talk take in resilient communities, here you difficult to understand these women, in the harmony of the war, bringing their babies to be immunized. That is such an example indicate a population that can outfitter, a population that is ergo steadfast, I think it psychoanalysis really remarkable.

Robert Turner took torrid the post as UNRWA's Gaza director in 2012 and served during two conflicts.