Today, the United States of America announced new support of nearly $52 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), in response to the 2016 UNRWA Emergency Appeal for the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
This came in a joint announcement made by US Consul General Donald Bloom and UNRWA Deputy Commissioner-General Sandra Mitchell during a ceremony in the Dheisheh refugee camp in Bethlehem.
Commenting on the commitment of the United States of America to the Palestinian people, Bloom said: “In the United States of America, we are proud of our leading role as funders of UNRWA, and our unwavering support for the emergency appeals of the UNRWA and its basic programs such as health and education is only a witness to that.”
Mitchell also spoke: “We extend our heartfelt thanks to the United States government for their generous donation to UNRWA´s work in the West Bank and Gaza, which comes to provide a helping hand to those most in need of emergency assistance. This support comes at a critical time when the rapid growth in refugees’ urgent need for emergency assistance continues.
This donation will be spent on improving livelihoods, community mental health, protection and awareness of the dangers of war related to explosive remnants of war, coordination, management, security and safety, in addition to emergency food assistance, money for work, education in emergency situations, emergency health clinics and other priorities.
The United States is the largest bilateral donor to UNRWA and has long been one of UNRWA´s most dependent donors, and this latest commitment brings the total US contributions to the 2016 UNRWA emergency appeal in the occupied Palestinian territory to $95 million.
In 2016, UNRWA is seeking $403 million to meet the minimum humanitarian needs of Palestine refugees in the West Bank and Gaza.
