The government and partners met today, January 15, to assess the results of the survey of damage and losses caused by Cyclone Freddy and to define strategies for the next phase of mobilizing funds for the recovery and reconstruction of the affected areas.

Representing the government, the Minister of Public Works, Housing and Water Resources, Carlos Mesquita, shared critical data on the immediate impact of Cyclone Freddy, highlighting the displacement of families, the destruction of infrastructure and the interruption of basic services in several provinces, including Niassa, Tete, Zambézia, Sofala, Manica, Inhambane and Maputo.

To deal with the scenario, the Mozambican government, with the support of the World Bank, activated an emergency response mechanism called the Contingent Emergency Response Component (CERC), through which resources available in ongoing projects worth 150 million dollars were redirected to respond to the emergency.

"It is our duty as a government, working together with our partners, to face this adversity with determination, solidarity and coordinated action," said Carlos Mesquita.

The meeting was attended by senior leaders of the government's partner organizations, specifically the United Nations Resident Coordinator, Catherine Sozi, the African Development Bank's Resident Representative in Mozambique, César Augusto Mba Abogo, as well as representatives of the European Union, the World Bank and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), "with the aim of continuing a phase that began with the preparation of the report on the survey of needs, damage and losses resulting from the cyclone, which we will be examining".

On the occasion, Mesquita stressed that "we need to move forward together in designing a single recovery and reconstruction program and act in a coordinated manner, in close coordination with the public and private sectors, local governments, NGOs and civil society, with the aim of recovering the damaged infrastructure, strengthening the social fabric and reviving the economy of the impacted areas".