The Minister of Local Government and Head of the Government Emergency and Rapid Response Team, Bader Aldeen al-Tumi, held two separate meetings on Tuesday, at the Ministry’s Tripoli headquarters, with the German Ambassador to Libya, Michael Ohnmacht, and the Italian Ambassador to Libya, Gianluca Alberini.
Germany’s help in relief and reconstruction
The Ministry reported that the meeting with Ambassador Ohnmacht focused on exchanging information and experiences and setting priorities for responding to the repercussions of the floods that struck Derna last week and exploring ways to enhance joint cooperation in the fields of relief and reconstruction.
During the meeting, the challenges facing the operations of distributing aid and delivering aid and supplies to those entitled to it were discussed.
The Minister provided a comprehensive overview of the widespread damage to the region’s infrastructure, including roads, bridges and schools.
He stressed that work teams on the ground are still intensifying their efforts to rehabilitate the affected areas and aid those affected.
For his part, the Ministry reported, the German ambassador expressed the presence of a strong German will and full readiness to provide various types of support and assistance at this stage and in the reconstruction stage. He stressed his country’s continued provision of aid and its readiness to enhance cooperation with the Ministry of Local Government, especially with municipalities, especially afflicted municipalities, in developing the local team’s capabilities in dealing with natural disasters, mitigating negative impacts on society, and honing their skills in the fields of relief and emergencies.
At the conclusion of the meeting, Minister Tumi expressed the State of Libya’s appreciation for the German response, stressing that it was very quick to serve its Libyan friends in dealing with this major crisis, pointing out the difficulty of absorbing this crisis by the local authorities alone due to the lack of experience of the local teams in dealing with crises of this level of complexity and sensitivity.
Italy offering additional assistance
On the same day and in the same Tripoli headquarters, Minister Tumi met the Italian Ambassador to Libya, Gianluca Alberini, and his accompanying delegation.,
During the meeting, the repercussions resulting from the floods that recently struck the city of Derna and neighbouring areas, which caused massive human and material losses, were discussed.
Minister Tumi expressed Libya’s appreciation to the Italian diplomatic mission, the government, and the Italian people for their urgent support in all fields.
For his part, the Ministry reported, the Italian ambassador praised the efforts made by the Libyan authorities in dealing with the crisis, stressing his country’s readiness to provide additional assistance and technical support to assist in reconstruction and recovery from the floods.
The meeting also discussed ways to enhance joint cooperation in the field of rehabilitating the city’s port, implementing a project to establish a bridge linking the east of the city to its west, and providing joint training and workshops to enhance emergency response capabilities in Libya.
Part of efforts to develop capability to deal with natural disasters and rapid response
The Tripoli government reported that this meeting comes within the framework of the comprehensive efforts made by the National Unity Government to deal with the repercussions of the flood disaster, to develop local capabilities in dealing with natural disasters, and to enhance the ability of state agencies to implement a rapid response to protect society and maintain its safety.
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