UNITED NATIONS, Jun 3 (NNN-XINHUA) – The UN yesterday appealed for sustainable funding for UNRWA, its agency supporting Palestine refugees, which is on the brink of financial collapse.
“As I address you today (yesterday), I do not have the funds to keep our schools, health centres and other services running, as of Sept,” UNRWA Commissioner-General, Philippe Lazzarini, told a pledging conference at the UN headquarters in New York.
Chronic underfunding over the past decade, and resultant severe austerity measures, mean UNRWA is already operating with a 75-million U.S. dollar-shortfall, putting its lifesaving programmes across the Middle East at risk, he said.
UNRWA was established in 1949, as a temporary agency to provide aid to Palestinians, following mass displacement from land that became Israel, making it one of the first UN humanitarian operations.
Today, nearly six million people in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, and in Syria, Lebanon and Jordan, depend on its services, which are almost entirely funded by voluntary contributions. Nearly a third of registered Palestine refugees live in camps.
UNRWA is seeking 1.6 billion dollars for its operations this year. Lazzarini said, an additional 75 million dollars is urgently needed, to provide food for over a million people in Gaza. Another 30 million dollars is required to maintain cash and food assistance to 600,000 people in Syria, Lebanon and Jordan.
UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, has urged the international community to ensure the agency is fully funded.
“Let’s be clear: UNRWA is on the verge of financial collapse. The consequences of further budget cuts would be catastrophic,” the UN chief said, in remarks delivered by his Chef de Cabinet, Courtenay Rattray.
The UN chief is deeply concerned that some of the largest and most reliable donors have indicated that they might be reducing their support.
