UNRWA spokesman Sami Mushasha confirmed that the Agency´s deficit for this year amounted to about $ 120 million within the budget of $ 1.2 billion.
He pointed out that the Agency succeeded in opening the school year for this year, and continue to provide services in the five areas of operations, despite attempts to liquidate. In an interview with Voice of Palestine Radio on Saturday, Mashash said that the agency is working in cooperation with the Palestinian, Jordanian and Arab League diplomats to mobilize political and financial support for the agency and renew its mandate during the next three years at the United Nations. He added that the agency is committed to cooperating with the commission of inquiry on corruption charges, and that corruption must be separated from the agency and delegated its work, which is used by some countries for political purposes. He explained that "there are some legal and administrative abuses in the work of the Agency, and that the attempt to make adjustments regarding the number of refugees and the definition of who is a refugee will not succeed." UNRWA was established by a UN General Assembly resolution in 1949 to provide assistance and protection to Palestinian refugees until a just solution to their problem is reached. The Agency currently serves 5.3 million Palestine refugees in its five areas of operation.
