GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip / PNN /
Gaza’s chambers of commerce, industry and agriculture held a dialogue Thursday titled “In Gaza, an Economy Struggles to Survive,” bringing together representatives of international organisations, the private sector and local institutions to discuss the mounting challenges facing the territory’s economy and the urgent measures needed to preserve remaining economic capacity and lay the groundwork for recovery.
The meeting was organised by the Emergency Committee of the Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture and the private sector. It was held in person at the Gaza Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture, with several organisations joining by video conference.
The discussions come as Gaza faces severe economic and humanitarian conditions, with organisers seeking to give international institutions a direct account of the situation facing businesses and economic activities across the territory and to identify immediate priorities for maintaining what remains of the private sector’s productive and commercial capacity.
Representatives of the World Food Programme, the U.N. Office for Project Services, the U.N. Development Programme, Anera, the U.N. Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations took part, alongside private-sector representatives and relevant local institutions.
The meeting opened with a screening of the short documentary “In Gaza, an Economy Struggles to Survive,” which used testimony and footage from the ground to examine the impact of restrictions on trade and the movement of goods, production inputs, spare parts and fuel.
The film highlighted how those restrictions have affected economic and service-sector businesses as well as living conditions and the humanitarian situation, while limiting the ability of private-sector companies to continue operating.
Participants also reviewed a fact sheet on the state of Gaza’s private sector and economy, including key indicators and data on trade flows, rising prices, declining economic activity and the challenges facing businesses and various economic sectors.
The document also examined the current import mechanism, under which goods enter Gaza through a very limited number of traders. Participants said the system restricts competition, reduces the diversity of supply sources and affects the availability of goods and production inputs, contributing to higher costs and prices while making it harder for many businesses to resume operations.
The discussions brought together private-sector and international representatives to examine conditions in markets and businesses, restrictions linked to the current import system and the limited number of importers, as well as difficulties in importing goods and production inputs, rising operating costs and declining purchasing power.
Participants also discussed challenges facing a broad range of sectors, including trade, services, manufacturing, agriculture, tourism, transportation, information technology, fishing, spare parts and vehicle imports, among other economic activities.
They stressed the need to move beyond diagnosing the crisis toward practical and immediate measures to support the private sector, preserve its productive and commercial capacity and create the conditions needed to restart economic activity.
The meeting produced a set of priorities and practical recommendations, foremost among them the need to open crossings and facilitate the regular movement of goods, allow all importers to operate under clear and transparent criteria, and avoid limiting imports to a small number of traders.
Participants also called for ensuring the entry of raw materials, production inputs, spare parts and equipment required to sustain economic activity. They urged international aid programmes to focus on helping damaged businesses resume operations, strengthening their production and trading capacity, expanding access to financing and supporting supply chains and local markets.
They also emphasised the importance of maintaining dialogue and coordination among chambers of commerce, the private sector and international organisations, while developing joint mechanisms to monitor market conditions and the needs of different economic sectors.
Participants called for greater use of field data to guide recovery and intervention programmes so that they respond to the actual needs of businesses and economic sectors.
The Gaza Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture said economic recovery could not be separated from humanitarian recovery, arguing that restoring the private sector’s ability to operate, produce and provide jobs and services is essential to strengthening community resilience and improving living conditions.
The chamber stressed the importance of partnerships between the private sector and international organisations in setting priorities and ensuring that interventions reflect the needs identified on the ground.
Gaza’s Economy Struggles to Survive as Trade Restrictions and Import Barriers Deepen Crisis
Aggregated summary from an independent source. Read the original at PNN.