Oman _ Palestine News Network
Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said his country is currently working with the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) to prepare a clear plan of action to fund the Agency for the next period.
At a press conference in Amman on Tuesday, after discussions with the Commissioner-General of "UNRWA " Pierre Krähenbühl, Safadi said that a three-or five-year financial plan would be studied, as well as continued initiatives to manage spending effectively.
The Minister noted that a meeting between experts from the agency and the Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs was being prepared to develop a vision and a plan of action for the agency.
Al-Safadi pointed to the importance of the achievements made over the past period after reducing the agency´s deficit and ensuring that schools continue to open to hundreds of thousands of refugee students.
Safadi said his country wants the agency to continue with full force for two reasons: the first is to provide a decent living for the refugees, and the second is political, considering the issue of refugees as the final status issues of the Palestinian issue.
Krähenbühl said the current year witnessed many problems, but the deficit declined, praising the campaigns launched by Jordan to urge supporters to stand by the "UNRWA".
Krähenbühl expressed the hope that the support that has been secured from the partners will be maintained to meet the needs of the refugees.
Washington announced last summer the cancellation of some $300 million in aid earmarked for Palestinians, especially for programmes in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Washington initially lowered the start of this year from its contribution to UNRWA, providing only $60 million, compared to 370 million dollars in 2017
After the agency´s budget deficit reached 446 million dollars beginning in 2018, it dropped to $21 million after international campaigns to save the agency.
