Gaza _ Palestine News Network
The Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), Pierre Krähenbühl, on Tuesday asked for US $1.2 billion to fund vital agency services and life-saving humanitarian assistance for a total of 4.5 million Palestine refugees in the east The middle.
In a press release today, Krähenbühl said that this amount is required to maintain the level of UNRWA operations as it was in 2018, noting that the introduction of UNRWA´s priorities for 2019 and financial requirements follows a remarkable international mobilization to overcome an unprecedented financial deficit and existential crisis after The agency´s largest donor decision to suspend $300 million of its contributions last year.
Krähenbühl gave a great greeting to all UNRWA partners by saying: "At a time when we faced the biggest financial challenge of our proud history, it was inspiring to see the generosity and responsiveness of donor and host Governments, from within the United Nations system and from our non-governmental partners Government, civil society and individuals, and I would like to convey my deep gratitude for this exemplary commitment and solidarity. "
Palestine Refugees in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Gaza, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, would continue in 2019 to face a number of difficult human development and protection challenges.
"One of the major concerns of Palestine refugees is the near-total absence of prospects, both political and personal," said the Commissioner-General. In the midst of all this, it is essential to maintain the key services of the brave UNRWA staff in one of the most difficult and polarized areas in the Middle East. "
"My call is for all of our partners to sustain the generous levels of funding that have been achieved individually and collectively in the year," Krähenbühl said. 2018 what is at stake here is the dignity and rights of Palestine refugees--specifically, the right to education for 530 thousand girls and boys--as well as regional stability and defence The strong pluralism system, "he added," for its part, UNRWA remains fully committed to maintaining its reform orientation and financial discipline. "
