Published : 04-11-2019
UNRWA Commissioner-General Pierre Krähenbühl called on the 120 states present at the XVIII Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in Baku, Azerbaijan, on 25 and 26 October 2019, to support UNRWA program aiming to preserve the rights and dignity of 5.5 million Palestine refugees in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Gaza, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria.
“Standing with UNRWA, its mandate and its services, is a fundamental measure of the readiness of states to protect human dignity, defend the rights of Palestine refugees and preserve regional stability,” he said.
In his address at the Summit, the Commissioner-General reminded participants of the resolve and commitment that Palestine refugees show every day in the face of the dire circumstances in which many of them live: “I have never seen a more courageous and determined community than the 532,000 students in UNRWA schools. Preserving their rights and future is the most noble responsibility I can think of.”
Krähenbühl called for renewed generosity from member states of the NAM to help UNRWA close its remaining 2019 shortfall which remains at US$89 Million, an amount that risks impacting the delivery of key UNRWA services if not overcome. He also urged members to support the upcoming renewal of the UNRWA mandate at the United Nations General Assembly.
In the final declaration of the Baku Summit, NAM member states, among others, strongly commended the efforts of UNRWA in providing vital support and emergency assistance to the Palestine refugees, urged support to the Agency for the implementation of its mandate, and called to urgently address the chronic funding shortfalls faced by UNRWA.
UNRWA Commissioner-General Pierre Krähenbühl called on the 120 states present at the XVIII Summit of the Heads of State and Government of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) in Baku, Azerbaijan, on 25 and 26 October 2019, to support UNRWA program aiming to preserve the rights and dignity of 5.5 million Palestine refugees in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Gaza, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria.
“Standing with UNRWA, its mandate and its services, is a fundamental measure of the readiness of states to protect human dignity, defend the rights of Palestine refugees and preserve regional stability,” he said.
In his address at the Summit, the Commissioner-General reminded participants of the resolve and commitment that Palestine refugees show every day in the face of the dire circumstances in which many of them live: “I have never seen a more courageous and determined community than the 532,000 students in UNRWA schools. Preserving their rights and future is the most noble responsibility I can think of.”
Krähenbühl called for renewed generosity from member states of the NAM to help UNRWA close its remaining 2019 shortfall which remains at US$89 Million, an amount that risks impacting the delivery of key UNRWA services if not overcome. He also urged members to support the upcoming renewal of the UNRWA mandate at the United Nations General Assembly.
In the final declaration of the Baku Summit, NAM member states, among others, strongly commended the efforts of UNRWA in providing vital support and emergency assistance to the Palestine refugees, urged support to the Agency for the implementation of its mandate, and called to urgently address the chronic funding shortfalls faced by UNRWA.
