Marco De Ponte, Secretary General of ActionAid Italy, said:

“With entire communities now in mourning, the Italian government and partners need to ensure immediate and long-term relief in the form of shelter and sanitation, psychological and economic support. No one must be left behind and together we must all do our part to stand in solidarity and help one another.

“As the rescue operations draw to a close, local communities must be at the forefront of the reconstruction process. We must learn from previous earthquakes, like L’Aquila, that despite there being enough food and blankets, concerns of affected communities often went unheard. This time around, we must guarantee that the needs and concerns are at the heart of the reconstruction process.”

After the earthquakes that struck L’Aquila in 2009 and the Emilia Romagna in 2012, ActionAid Italy carried out similar responses, working with affected communities to hold to account local authorities’ expenditure on reconstruction, as well as ensuring people received the clear and reliable information on the reconstruction process.

ENDS