Published : 28-02-2019
The European Union Representative, Ralph Tarraf, and Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), Pierre Krähenbühl, signed, at UNRWA headquarters in occupied Jerusalem, the EU-UNRWA contribution agreement in support of the Agency's 2019 Program Budget.
Under this agreement, the EU provides a vital contribution of EUR 82 million in support of the human development work of UNRWA for this year. In light of the Agency’s ongoing financial challenges, the EU has agreed to provide the totality of its funding immediately upon the signature of the agreement.
The new contribution will help preserve access to education for 532,000 children, provide primary health care for more than 3.5 million patients and assistance to over 250,000 acutely vulnerable Palestine refugees, as well as a multitude of other services, at a time of extreme instability across the Middle East region.
For over four decades, the European Union has established itself as a key strategic partner for the Agency, supporting UNRWA in its efforts to help Palestine refugees achieve their full potential in human development despite their difficult circumstances. In 2018, as the Agency faced its most significant financial shortfall since its inception, the EU emerged as the Agency’s largest donor.
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 program 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 5.4 million Palestine refugees registered with UNRWA across its five fields of operation. Its services encompass education, health care, relief and social services, camp infrastructure and improvement, protection and microfinance.
The European Union Representative, Ralph Tarraf, and Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), Pierre Krähenbühl, signed, at UNRWA headquarters in occupied Jerusalem, the EU-UNRWA contribution agreement in support of the Agency's 2019 Program Budget.
Under this agreement, the EU provides a vital contribution of EUR 82 million in support of the human development work of UNRWA for this year. In light of the Agency’s ongoing financial challenges, the EU has agreed to provide the totality of its funding immediately upon the signature of the agreement.
The new contribution will help preserve access to education for 532,000 children, provide primary health care for more than 3.5 million patients and assistance to over 250,000 acutely vulnerable Palestine refugees, as well as a multitude of other services, at a time of extreme instability across the Middle East region.
For over four decades, the European Union has established itself as a key strategic partner for the Agency, supporting UNRWA in its efforts to help Palestine refugees achieve their full potential in human development despite their difficult circumstances. In 2018, as the Agency faced its most significant financial shortfall since its inception, the EU emerged as the Agency’s largest donor.
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 program 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 5.4 million Palestine refugees registered with UNRWA across its five fields of operation. Its services encompass education, health care, relief and social services, camp infrastructure and improvement, protection and microfinance.
