The Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, met earlier this week with the Prime Minister of the State of Palestine, Dr. Mohammad Shtayyeh.

According to an April 7 statement by UNRWA, the meeting took place via teleconference in view of the exceptional circumstances imposed by the global pandemic COVID-19, which has caused restrictions on movement and travel.

This is the first meeting of the incoming UNRWA Commissioner General, who took up his position on 1 April 2020, with a high representative of the Palestinian Authority.

During their call, Lazzarini and Shtayyeh addressed the rights and critical needs of Palestine refugees in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt), particularly in the face of the pandemic.

The Prime Minister highlighted the extraordinary Palestinian efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19, stressing that prevention was critical to saving lives.

He added that the restrictions on movement and the prevention of access in and out of the West Bank has already yielded results, but that quarantine measures, particularly of workers returning from Israel, were still needed.

The Commissioner-General updated the Prime Minister on the Agency’s prevention and response plans that complement those of the Palestinian Authority and on the ongoing and relentless efforts to raise the necessary funds that will ensure uninterrupted services. He also briefed the Prime Minister on the situation of Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.

“It is an honor to have met Dr. Shtayyeh and to have formally introduced myself to the Palestinian Authority, even in these extraordinary circumstances. I am confident that we will continue our long-established cooperation to ensure that Palestine refugees in the oPt, as well as in neighboring host countries continue to receive the protection and assistance that the United Nations General Assembly mandated UNRWA to implement”, said UNRWA’s Commissioner-General.

The meeting ended with a commitment from the Prime Minster and the Commissioner-General to work closely together to highlight the importance of UNRWA work for the Palestine refugee community and to advocate for the necessary finances that will enable uninterrupted critical services by the Agency.