Palladium Overseeing UK’s Crisis Support to Libya and Morocco
The UK has increased its financial support to the response to both the floods in Libya and the earthquake in Morocco, allocating a package worth up to £10 million. The programme is managed by London-headquartered consultancy Palladium.
September 2023 saw two disasters unfold across Norther Africa. First, a 6.8-magnitude earthquake shook Morocco’s High Atlas mountains, with the death toll estimated as at least 2,900 people – while more than 5,000 people were injured. Then, three days later, intense flooding in Libya caused two dams to collapse, unleashing mud and water into the city of Derna. The Libyan Red Crescent estimated casualties of 11,000, while officials confirmed 30,000 were still missing – suggesting the full scaled of the disaster may be far greater.
The UN announced $10 million in response to the flooding from its Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) – a fund which the UK is one of the largest donors for, having committed £52 million to its work in 2023 alone. After the announcement, the UK Government’s minister for the Middle East and North Africa, Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, spoke to under-secretary general for humanitarian affairs at the UN, Martin Griffiths, to discuss the international response to the crises in Morocco and Libya.
Now, the UK has increased its financial support to the response to both the floods in Libya and the earthquake in Morocco, allocating a package worth up to £10 million. The UK Government is now working with trusted partners on the ground, to identify the most urgent basic needs, including on shelter, healthcare and sanitation and stands ready to provide further support.
Speaking on the situation in Libya in particular, where it has been difficult for aid to reach those in need, as the area is not controlled by the nation’s government but a rival warlord, Lord Ahmad commented, “It is harrowing to see the loss of life and scenes of devastation in Libya following the floods. The UK is committed to supporting the Libyan people during this extremely difficult time. We will increase UK funding to the crisis response and deliver crucial life-saving provisions, including shelter, water filters and medical assessments.”
In the weeks since the disasters, the UK has also ramped up crucial life-saving support to flood-hit Libya, deploying an essential emergency medical team. This additional support builds upon the initial package worth up to £1 million announced earlier in the week, which will be used to provide vital provisions including emergency shelter items, portable solar lanterns and water filters.
The UK is also deploying an emergency medical team led by health and sanitation experts from NGO UK-MED to conduct rapid medical assessments in disaster-affected areas. The Emergency Medical Team will coordinate with local authorities, international organisations and other EMT partners on the ground to understand the immediate and growing humanitarian health needs in Libya following the devastating storms.
One trusted partner helping to facilitate this response is London-headquartered consultancy Palladium.
Commenting via the firm’s LinkedIn, Palladium stated, “We are proud to help deliver the UK Government’s response to the humanitarian crises in Libya and Morocco, which have been affected by devastating floods. The UK’s Humanitarian Emergency Response Operations and Stabilisation (HEROS) Programme is managed by Palladium.”
Founded in 2015, Palladium is a London-headquartered consultancy, focused primarily on digital change management. The firm assists clients with transitions of operation, from implementation through to board level, where its input also helps support both the cultural and commercial impact of digitally led change.
Source : Consultancy
