Skip to main content

$1.4 billion needed this year to fund UN’s agency for Palestine refugees


© UNRWA
Palestinian children ride a tuk-tuk (modified motorcycle and miniature pickup) on their way to school.
    
31 January 2020
Humanitarian Aid
A minimum of $1.4 billion is needed to fund the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, known as UNRWA, the acting chief said on Friday.
Christian Saunders said the funds would provide essential services throughout 2020, including life-saving humanitarian assistance for 5.6 million registered Palestine refugees across the Middle East.
He noted that the pledges of support UNRWA received at the General Assembly in December was “an overwhelming validation of the agency and of our mandate” and stressed the importance of donors and partners matching those commitments, to allow the agency to provide refugees with “protection and those critical services considered a basic human right”.
He said UNRWA would ensure “that every penny of public funding we receive is used wisely, properly and effectively.”

Impacting Palestine refugees

In 2020, Palestine refugees in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Gaza, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria will “continue to face daunting human development and protection challenges” precipitated by the occupation of the West Bank, the conflict in Syria, the political crisis in Lebanon and the growing needs in Jordan, said Mr. Saunders.
“We are stretched to our limits under our shrinking budgets and the growing needs of Palestine refugees who are impacted by the same volatility and unpredictability that people face in the Middle East every day”, he said.
The funds will be used for essential core services, including infrastructure, protection, social services and microfinance as well as to contribute to the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the 2030 Agenda. 
Moreover, it will help to provide education to over half a million girls and boys in some 700 schools across the region and enable 8.5 million patient visits in its health facilities, similar to laast year 2019.
Until there is a just and durable solution, “we are the only agency able to provide the type of essential services that Palestine refugees are entitled to”, he maintained, calling on donors to strongly support UNRWA, and saying “your investment is very well-placed, it is an investment in a beleaguered people deserving of your continued support and it is an investment in the region’s stability”.

US proposal to end Israel-Palestine conflict

Turning to US President Donald Trump’s administration’s ‘Vision for Peace, Prosperity and a Brighter Future’ aimed to resolve the decades-long conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, the top UNRWA official said that “a lot of Palestinians are in a state of shock at this point in time, in a state of disbelief”.
The United States administration’s proposal aims to legalize Israeli settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem while allowing Israel to annex around 30 per cent of the West Bank
Mr. Saunders said it was “extremely unsettling for the Palestine refugees living under occupation, under blockade, and through conflict after conflict and crisis after crisis, hoping for justice and human rights, and with the constant fear that the international community will one day abandon them”.
“Today, more than ever there is a need for stability and today the international community must send a clear message to Palestine refugees and to the world at large that the international community stands firmly behind them”.
He recalled that in 2018, UNRWA’s largest donor at that time, the US, stopped its funding, cutting nearly one-third of the agency’s budget.
“The repercussions on our finances and plans were huge, but the support we received from our member States and partners was phenomenal”, he said, calling it “a true testament to the continued international commitment to Palestine refugees.”
Despite the potential implications of the loss of funding, the “incredible support allowed us to continue to provide vital services and protection to Palestine refugees”, he concluded.

 

Couetesy:UN News

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Remembering victims of second World War by UN

8 May 2021 Peace and Security The Second World War had a profound impact on the international community, and established the conditions for the creation of the United Nations. This weekend marks the official remembrance of the tens of millions of civilians and soldiers who died during the conflict. In total, about 40 million civilians, and some 20 million soldiers, lost their lives in the war between 1939 and 1945. On 8 and 9 May, the UN invites its 193 member countries, non-governmental organizations, and individuals, to pay tribute to the victims of the conflict. The date of 8 May was chosen because it is the day the Nazi forces in Germany surrendered in 1945 but, recognizing that UN member states may have their own memorable days associated with the victory over fascism, the General Assembly invited all countries, UN organizations, non-governmental organizations and individuals to celebrate either 8 May, 9 May, or both of these days annually as a tribute to all victims of the Sec...
Post a Comment
Read more

Low-skilled workers, developing countries at risk of steep economic decline as coronavirus advances

Low-skilled workers, developing countries at risk of steep economic decline as coronavirus advances UN News/Elizabeth Scaffidi Woman waits with cash in hand to make purchase an old time New York City bakery, which counts the number of people it allows in to maintain a safe distance between customers.         1 April 2020 Economic Development The global economy could shrink by up to one per cent in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and may contract even further if restrictions on economic activities are extended without adequate fiscal responses, according to analysis released today by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs ( DESA ). The DESA briefing finds that millions of workers are at risk of losing their jobs as nearly 100 countries close their national borders. That could translate to a global economic contraction of 0.9 per cent by the end of 2020, or even higher if governments fail to provide income support and help boost consumer spending. Str...
Post a Comment
Read more

UN campaign to tap into personal connections in bid to protect religious sites

UN campaign to tap into personal connections in bid to protect religious sites UN Photo/Mark Garten A sign reads "Love takes courage and determination" at the Linwood Islamic Centre in Christchurch, New Zealand. The Centre was the second of two sites attacked by terrorists on 15 March 2019.         20 March 2020 Peace and Security The United Nations will soon launch a campaign highlighting the personal connections of individuals with religious sites as part of its efforts to protect places of worship around the world.   The campaign is part of the UN Plan of Action to safeguard religious sites, which was launched last September in the wake of a series of horrific attacks, including on mosques in New Zealand, a synagogue in the US city of Pittsburgh, and churches in Sri Lanka.    Developed by the UN Alliance of Civilizations ( UNAOC ), the Plan of Action is complemented by another in...
Post a Comment
Read more