The EU is adapting to a new security situation, not just on its own continent, but also in the Middle East. Hopes of a more peaceful Syria after the ouster of Bashar al-Assad have so far been dashed, with sectarian massacres happening on the Syrian coast earlier in March – killings that have triggered an exodus of thousands of people across the border into Lebanon. Lebanon itself remains extremely fragile, economically and socially. And the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza is clearly far from over, despite a ceasefire that was announced in January. The EU is working with the United Nations to address the challenges of humanitarian aid and reconstruction in this volatile region, and our guest has a lot of first-hand experience in that domain. Jorge Moreira da Silva is the executive director of UNOPS, the United Nations agency dedicated to implementing humanitarian and development projects. He is a former Member of the European Parliament, a former senior official at the OECD in Paris, and a former minister of environment and energy in the Portuguese government.

Asked about the Israeli air strikes on Gaza, Moreira da Silva says: "What is happening in Gaza is totally unacceptable. It's very unfortunate that we return to escalation. During the ceasefire in the last few weeks, we could provide support to the people (of Gaza). And now, with the strikes, with the conflict again, all aid has been stopped and we are seeing the direct impact on civilians, but also on the UN. I’ve been informed that the UN compound has been hit, and we are obviously following very carefully what is happening. I really hope that we can go back to where we were with the ceasefire and restart the political discussions. It’s the key moment to bring peace to Gaza and to the Middle East."

On the recent sectarian massacres of civilians on the Syrian coast, and the implications for Syria's post-Assad transition, Moreira da Silva states: "There was a clear call from the international community (at the recent Syria conference organised by the EU in Brussels), and a clear response from the minister of foreign affairs of Syria, committing precisely to ensure that there is a thorough investigation of what happened, and that those who perpetrated those crimes will be held to account." But, Moreira da Silva adds, nobody used the violence "as a pretext to delay action. That’s why I think there was a breakthrough in progress when donors stepped in to provide €6 billion to the people in Syria. I visited Damascus a few weeks ago, and Syria is still at the brink. It's in the middle of an immense humanitarian crisis, with almost 90 percent of the population living in need, in extreme poverty."

On the issue of Syrian refugees potentially returning home – a topic that EU member states are debating – Moreira da Silva suggests that "nobody will return if there is no security and no economic development. It's important that the donor community provides all the support that is needed in Syria, and that will be a way to get Syrians to come back. Not because we went them to come back, but because it’s important for them to go back to the places where they were happy."

Moreira da Silva also discusses UN and Western support to Ukraine. "We are doing early recovery, repairing infrastructure, rehabilitating entire neighbourhoods, rehabilitating energy and water networks. And this is what UNOPS is doing. We are supporting the Ukrainians, building schools, and doing mine action, which is removing unexploded ordnance." But he emphasises that aid should not be a "zero-sum game," in which resources might be shifted from Africa to Ukraine. "We need to support Africa. We need to support Ukraine. We need to support fragile states. That's why I'm very worried about cuts in overseas development assistance. I'm very worried about the cuts in solidarity globally. This is the moment when we need to raise the bar. It's not the moment to cut, but to bring more."

Programme prepared by Oihana Almandoz, Perrine Desplats, Isabelle Romero and Luke Brown

'This is the key moment to bring peace to Gaza and the Middle East': UNOPS chief

Talking Europe