Palestinian PM, UN Official Discuss Financial Crisis Faced by Palestine Refugee Agency

Palestinian PM, UN Official Discuss Financial Crisis Faced by Palestine Refugee Agency

UNRWA is a UN agency established in 1949 and mandated to provide assistance to some 5.6 million Palestine refugees registered with UNRWA across its five fields of operation. (File: AP Photo/ Khalil Hamra)

Commissioner General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, and Palestinian Prime Minister Muhammad Shtayyeh discussed on Sunday the agency's financial crisis and its impact on millions of Palestinian refugees scattered across the globe.

Speaking during a meeting with Lazzarini in Ramallah, the Prime Minister said that UNRWA faces the same financial war that is currently waged against the Palestinians as a result of the suspension of the US financial aid as well as the simmering attempts to cancel the Agency’s mandate.

Shtayyeh pointed out the Palestinian leadership's support for UNRWA and its endeavors to help the Agency maintain its vital services for Palestinian refugees and gain international support pending a just and lasting solution to the historical injustice committed against the Palestinian people.

For his part, Lazzarini briefed the Prime Minister on the alarming humanitarian situation faced by Palestinian refugees and the Agency’s efforts to provide vital services in refugee camps in its fields of operations.

UNRWA is confronted with an increased demand for services resulting from a growth in the number of registered Palestine refugees, the extent of their vulnerability and their deepening poverty. UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions and financial support has been outpaced by the growth in needs. As a result, the UNRWA programme budget, which supports the delivery of core essential services, operates with a large shortfall.

UNRWA is a United Nations agency established by the General Assembly in 1949 and mandated to provide assistance and protection to some 5.6 million Palestine refugees registered with UNRWA across its five fields of operation. Its mission is to help Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, West Bank, including East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip achieve their full human development potential, pending a just and lasting solution to their plight.

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