Tunisia Needs 550 Million Dinars to Reduce Disaster Risk

Tunisia's President Kais Saied shakes hands with newly appointed Tunisian Prime Minister Ahmed Hachani, in Tunis, Tunisia August 1, 2023. (Tunisian Presidency/Handout via Reuters)
Tunisia's President Kais Saied shakes hands with newly appointed Tunisian Prime Minister Ahmed Hachani, in Tunis, Tunisia August 1, 2023. (Tunisian Presidency/Handout via Reuters)
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Tunisia Needs 550 Million Dinars to Reduce Disaster Risk

Tunisia's President Kais Saied shakes hands with newly appointed Tunisian Prime Minister Ahmed Hachani, in Tunis, Tunisia August 1, 2023. (Tunisian Presidency/Handout via Reuters)
Tunisia's President Kais Saied shakes hands with newly appointed Tunisian Prime Minister Ahmed Hachani, in Tunis, Tunisia August 1, 2023. (Tunisian Presidency/Handout via Reuters)

The Tunisian government on Monday said it needs 550 million dinars to implement its national strategy of Disaster Risk Reduction (2018-2030).

“In order to achieve this objective, Tunisia has already started implementing the Integrated Program for Disaster Resilience with a budget of 360 million dinars,” said Prime Minister Ahmed Hachani in a speech read out by Minister of the Environment, Leila Chikhaoui, at the opening of the Arab-African Conference on Science and Technology for Disaster Risk Reduction.

He said the program aims to strengthen institutional coordination for the management of climate and disaster risks through the creation of a national platform for disaster risk reduction and the installation of an early warning system.

The PM reiterated the importance of working together in solidarity to support international efforts to protect human lives, property and infrastructure.

In the past few weeks, the North African region was hit by natural disasters that have wreaked havoc and chaos in Libya and Morocco.

Thousands died in Derna, eastern Libya, when torrents and floods - caused by powerful Storm Daniel, swept away entire neighborhoods and bodies into the sea.

A devastating 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck southwestern Morocco last month, killing at least 3,000 people and leveling dozens of villages in a rugged mountainous area.

The Tunisian Minister of Environment and Local Development said her country will suffer annual losses of 427.8 million dinars ($138 million) if the national strategy for disaster risk reduction is not implemented.

“Tunisia is considered a country that is highly vulnerable to climate change and disasters due to its geographical location,” she stressed.



Weaponization of Food in Gaza Constitutes War Crime, UN Rights Office Says

A tent camp for displaced Palestinians stretches among the ruins of buildings destroyed by Israeli bombardments in west of Gaza City, Saturday, June 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
A tent camp for displaced Palestinians stretches among the ruins of buildings destroyed by Israeli bombardments in west of Gaza City, Saturday, June 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
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Weaponization of Food in Gaza Constitutes War Crime, UN Rights Office Says

A tent camp for displaced Palestinians stretches among the ruins of buildings destroyed by Israeli bombardments in west of Gaza City, Saturday, June 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)
A tent camp for displaced Palestinians stretches among the ruins of buildings destroyed by Israeli bombardments in west of Gaza City, Saturday, June 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Jehad Alshrafi)

The UN human rights office said on Tuesday that the "weaponization" of food for civilians in Gaza constitutes a war crime, in its strongest remarks yet on a new model of aid distribution run by an Israeli-backed organization.

Over 410 people have been killed by gunshots or shells fired by the Israeli military while trying to reach distribution sites of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation since it began work in late May, UN human rights spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan told reporters at a Geneva press briefing.

The death toll has been independently verified by his office, he added.

"Desperate, hungry people in Gaza continue to face the inhumane choice of either starving to death or risk being killed while trying to get food," he said, describing the system as "Israel's militarized humanitarian assistance mechanism".

"The weaponization of food for civilians, in addition to restricting or preventing their access to life-sustaining services, constitutes a war crime and, under certain circumstances, may constitute elements of other crimes under international law."

Asked whether Israel was guilty of that war crime, he said: "The legal qualification needs to be made by a court of law."

Israel rejects war crimes charges in Gaza and blames Hamas fighters for harm to civilians for operating among them, which the fighters deny.