No final do encontro, John Ging, Director de operações da UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency) em Gaza, que na véspera participara num debate na Comissão dos Negócios Estrangeiros do Parlamento Europeu, sublinhou após a reunião com Mário David que "este é um momento em que existem grandes oportunidades e que a Europa terá um papel chave a desempenhar neste importante momento". John Ging deixou ainda "o agradecimento ao deputado Mário David", Presidente da Delegação para as Relações com os países do Maxereque do Parlamento Europeu, "pelo empenho demonstrado pelo Deputado Europeu relativamente ao futuro desta região".
Por sua vez Mário David afirmou que "o papel que a UNRWA desempenha atesta bem, que a maioria das populações em Gaza deseja a Paz e a convivência salutar com os seus vizinhos. É por isso tempo dos seus responsáveis políticos traduzirem essa mesma vontade, sem ambiguidade nem hipocrisia!".
John Ging Biography
On 01 February 2006, John Ging was appointed Director of UNRWA Operations in Gaza to manage a program which in 2009 is valued at USD $350 million. He manages a core staff of over 10,000, delivering education, health care, social services, micro finance and micro enterprise support aswell as large Emergency Assistance program to over one million refugees.
Immediately prior to joining UNRWA, he worked in the Balkans, most recently as the Chief of Staff of the Institution Building Pillar within the UN Mission in Kosovo. Prior to that he worked for 8 years in Bosnia and Herzegovina where he served as the Chief of Staff of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
From 1994-96, he was seconded by the Irish Government as Regional Field Director with the Irish NGO GOAL, having charge of their Emergency Relief and Development Aid programs in five countries of the Great Lakes Region of Africa. Prior Middle East experience was gained with UNIFIL 1989 - 1994
His career began as a commissioned officer in the Irish Defense Forces in1983, he is a lawyer (Barrister-at-Law) by qualification; he holds a primary and two post-graduate university degrees completing studies in Law, Sociology and Political Science.