Published : 18-12-2020
A webinar was held by Commission 302 to Defend Refugees' Rights on December 15 under the title “UNRWA after 71… Funding Challenge and Service Cut”.
The seminar was attended by directors of UNRWA offices in its five fields of operations and chaired by Dr. Intissar Danan.
In his opening speech, Director-General of Commission 302, Ali Huwaidi, underscored the need for UNRWA to keep up its vital services for Palestine refugees pending a just and lasting solution to their plight.
Huwaidi said donor states should send their pledged funds at the earliest possible time so as to enable the Agency to continue providing life-saving services for over 6 million registered Palestine refugees.
He called on the UN General Assembly to extend UNRWA’s mandate.
Director of UNRWA’s Syria Operations Michael Amanya said Palestinian refugees continue to face squalid conditions in the conflict-stricken country, adding that Palestine refugees from Syria have been severely affected by the ongoing armed conflict. Of the total 438,000 Palestine refugees from Syria, the vast majority require assistance.
He said over 90 per cent of Palestine refugee households in Syria live in poverty and 40 per cent remain in protracted displacement as a result of conflict and the damage and destruction of their homes, warned the UN Agency for Palestine Refugees. 80% rely on UNRWA cash assistance as their main source of income.
He stated that 51,000 Palestine refugee girls and boys have gone back to 103 schools run by the Agency.
Amanya also said that 70% of UNRWA’s budget remains in deficit and funds are urgently needed to carry out vital services for Palestine refugees.
Sometime earlier, UNRWA said that most of the refugees the Agency serves, including children, persons with disabilities and older persons, are not able to absorb the economic, social and medical shocks created by this global pandemic within a pre-existing humanitarian and conflict environment. Devastating consequences to their physical, social and economic wellbeing, with most already living below the poverty line, will continue to materialize if the international community does not act now.
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 programme budget, which supports the delivery of core essential services, operates with a large shortfall.
A webinar was held by Commission 302 to Defend Refugees' Rights on December 15 under the title “UNRWA after 71… Funding Challenge and Service Cut”.
The seminar was attended by directors of UNRWA offices in its five fields of operations and chaired by Dr. Intissar Danan.
In his opening speech, Director-General of Commission 302, Ali Huwaidi, underscored the need for UNRWA to keep up its vital services for Palestine refugees pending a just and lasting solution to their plight.
Huwaidi said donor states should send their pledged funds at the earliest possible time so as to enable the Agency to continue providing life-saving services for over 6 million registered Palestine refugees.
He called on the UN General Assembly to extend UNRWA’s mandate.
Director of UNRWA’s Syria Operations Michael Amanya said Palestinian refugees continue to face squalid conditions in the conflict-stricken country, adding that Palestine refugees from Syria have been severely affected by the ongoing armed conflict. Of the total 438,000 Palestine refugees from Syria, the vast majority require assistance.
He said over 90 per cent of Palestine refugee households in Syria live in poverty and 40 per cent remain in protracted displacement as a result of conflict and the damage and destruction of their homes, warned the UN Agency for Palestine Refugees. 80% rely on UNRWA cash assistance as their main source of income.
He stated that 51,000 Palestine refugee girls and boys have gone back to 103 schools run by the Agency.
Amanya also said that 70% of UNRWA’s budget remains in deficit and funds are urgently needed to carry out vital services for Palestine refugees.
Sometime earlier, UNRWA said that most of the refugees the Agency serves, including children, persons with disabilities and older persons, are not able to absorb the economic, social and medical shocks created by this global pandemic within a pre-existing humanitarian and conflict environment. Devastating consequences to their physical, social and economic wellbeing, with most already living below the poverty line, will continue to materialize if the international community does not act now.
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 programme budget, which supports the delivery of core essential services, operates with a large shortfall.
