The Palestinian Return Centre (PRC) expresses extreme concern over the decision of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) office in Lebanon to cut basic and extremely important medical and other services. The Centre blames the international community and the United Nations for the current deterioration of the situation.
The Centre calls on UNRWA to reverse its decision to cut these extremely important basic services that would spare the vulnerable Palestinian refugees from further sufferings. Palestinian refugees in Lebanon can't afford paying for medical services due to lack of income and high rates of unemployment.
The PRC invites UNRWA to urgently work out a solution to avoid cutting basic services like medical and educational support for refugees. On this regard, the Centre urges UNRWA to step up its efforts to attract funds from the United Nations, which should be allocating appropriate funds.
In the meantime, international donors must meet their obligation and fund the UNRWA services so it can provide refugees with the help they need.
"The centre comprehend that UNRWA's budget is tight due to lack of funds, however urgent measures such as internal austerity and reassessment of funds allocations in some projects may help ease the current crisis until internal donors meet their obligations." said the statement.
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