The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Mozambique on Monday November 4, 2019 handed over equipment to the Post Cyclone Idai and Kenneth Reconstruction Office, a Government entity established to oversee reconstruction in areas affected by the two powerful cyclones. The equipment comprises a vehicle and some office ware.

“This simple but profound handover ceremony is another demonstration of UNDP’s commitment to assist the people of Mozambique build resilience by rebuilding their lives, rebuilding their livelihoods and infrastructure, particularly those that were most affected by the cyclones;” said Mr. Alfredo Teixeira, UNDP Mozambique Resident Representative a.i.

The Executive Director of the Reconstruction Office, Francisco Pereira noted: “We are very grateful to UNDP that has been with us, all the way, supporting the Government and people of Mozambique in rebuilding following the massive devastation cause by cyclones Idai and Kenneth”.

The equipment hand over is part of the UNDP support to reconstruction efforts, a support provided since the onset. Following the cyclones, UNDP alongside other partners, the European Union, the World Bank and the Africa Development Bank, supported the Post Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA) that determined what the country would need to rebuild.

The PDNA informed an International Pledging conference that UNDP also helped to organize, providing policy and technical support to Government as well as donor engagement. The conference was highly successful and yielded $1.3 billion in pledges.

After the Pledging Conference, UNDP continued its support, building a partnership and successfully mobilizing funding to fast track recovery and build resilience including the establishment of a $72.5 million UNDP Recovery Facility for which close to $50 million has already been committed by development partners.

In line PDNA, the Recovery Facility mechanism has adopted a comprehensive approach to effectively respond to the needs of the disaster-affected population in Sofala and Cabo Delgado Provinces, in coordination with key actors and development partners, to ensure the rapid resumption of the development course in Mozambique in a resilient manner.

The mechanism is based on three fundamental pillars, namely:

• Livelihood and Women Economic Empowerment: Support community recovery from the impact of cyclones and floods and livelihood rehabilitation / reconstruction with a focus on women and people with disabilities;
• Housing and Community Infrastructure: Rebuilding public and community infrastructure for disaster recovery; and;
• Institutional Strengthening of Reconstruction Cabinet: Develop national capacities and systems to plan and implement the recovery and resilience program through support to the Reconstruction Office.