UN Deputy Secretary-General: UNRWA Plays Vital Role for Palestine Refugees

UN Deputy Secretary-General: UNRWA Plays Vital Role for Palestine Refugees

UN Deputy Secretary General Amina Mohammed takes a group photo with students during her visit to UNRWA in Nuzha area, Amman on 9 December 2019. © 2019 UNRWA Photo

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) plays a key role in providing human assistance and protection to Palestinian refugees, said the United Nations Deputy Secretary-General, Amina J. Mohammed.

Mohammed’s statements came during a visit she paid to a number of UNRWA installations in Amman on 9 December. During her visit, she was accompanied by Acting UNRWA Commissioner-General Christian Saunders and the Director of UNRWA Affairs in Jordan Mohammed Adar.

“The role that UNRWA plays in ensuring that the protection and human development of Palestine refugees is a constant priority is remarkable,” said the UN Deputy Secretary-General.

“Quality health and education are key to any individual and societal well-being, and that is what I saw today in UNRWA facilities: motivated staff and inspirational children that underscore that education remains a beacon of hope for Palestinian people”, stated the UN official.

The Deputy Secretary-General received information about the Agency’s health program and services to Palestine refugees during her visit to the Nuzha Health Centre in the north of Amman. Mohammed received a briefing about the UNRWA education program and met with staff and Palestine refugee students at the Nuzha Elementary Girls’ School, where she also engaged with a group of students representing the school parliament from that area.

Acting UNRWA Commissioner-General Saunders expressed appreciation for the support that the Agency receives from the Executive Office of the UN Secretary General to its mandate towards Palestine refugees.

“Today’s visit comes at a critical time when UNRWA is confronted with the worst financial crisis in its history,” he said. “We know that we have an incredibly effective advocate in the Deputy Secretary-General and we highly value everything that Ms. Mohammed is doing to make sure that UNRWA receives the necessary funding so that our services to Palestine refugees continue uninterrupted”.

UNRWA is a United Nations agency established by the General Assembly in 1949 and mandated to provide assistance and protection to some 5.4 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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