The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) will soon launch a global fundraising campaign to compensate for the shortage of funds due to the US decision to cut back funding to the structure.
This was stated on Wednesday by the official representative of the Secretary General of the World Organization Stephane Dujarric.
On Tuesday, the US announced that it would send $ 60 million to fund UNRWA out of the promised $ 125 million – an amount that is one-third of the annual US contributions to the agency’s budget, which was due to be transferred on January 1. “$ 60 million is much less than the funding of the past,” Dyuzharik said, noting that last year the US contributions “exceeded $ 350 million,” making up about half of the agency’s total budget.
According to him, “the reduction of funding threatens one of the most successful and innovative” assistance and development programs in the Middle East.
Dujarrik quoted the statements of the head of UNRWA Pierre Krähenbühl, who earlier on Wednesday stated the “most serious financial crisis” in the history of the agency, and also called for “unifying and supporting” the work of the UN to provide Palestinian refugees with education and decent living conditions.
“The Korenbühl will announce a global fundraising campaign in the next few days to allow UNRWA schools and clinics to continue their work in 2018 and in the future,” the Secretary General said.
As Stephane Dujarric said on Wednesday, the UN is concerned about the “sharp reduction in resources” at the disposal of UNRWA, which he called “a stabilizing force in the region.”
He assured that the decision taken by the US administration did not affect the relationship between the UN leadership and the United States. The representative of the Secretary General recalled that UNRWA – “this is not a Palestinian agency.”
“This is the UN structure that operates in accordance with the mandate given by the General Assembly, it works not only in the occupied territories, but also in Lebanon and Syria, providing critical assistance, providing education, medical and other services,” he stressed.