The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia contributed US $ 27 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).     

“We are delighted to receive this generous contribution from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia” said Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA Commissioner General during a ceremony held at the Saudi Embassy in Amman in the presence of Ahmad Abu Holi, the Head of the Palestine Refugees Department.

UNRWA said that this contribution will enable the Agency to continue the delivery of programmes in education and health and reach the most vulnerable Palestine refugees in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Gaza, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria.

Nayef bin Bandar Al-Sudairi, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to Jordan, said: "The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has historically been devoted to providing political and socio-economic support to the Palestinian cause. This includes supporting the rights of the Palestinian people in United Nations and humanitarian organizations and the historic cooperation with UNRWA through continuous support for the services it provides. We sincerely appreciate the role and work of UNRWA in supporting Palestine refugees.  This has become especially critical in light of the unprecedented financial challenges due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and the challenges of the repeated Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip and the Palestinian people across the Palestinian territories".

Al-Sudairi added: "The Kingdom affirms its commitment to peace as a strategic choice. Security and stability of the Middle East require speeding up efforts to reach a just and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian question, in line with international resolutions, the Arab Peace Initiative, and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital. The Kingdom condemns all unilateral measures that undermine the two-state solution and calls for their immediate cessation".

“There are few sources of stability in the lives of Palestine refugees. Access to basic services like education and primary health care are among them. Following decades of partnership with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, UNRWA looks forward to further deepening it to promote a dignified life, especially in the face of growing needs and deteriorating conditions in the Palestinian camps across the region,” concluded Lazzarini.