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GERMANY ANNOÄ¢¹½ÊÓƵCES NEW EUR 37 MILLION DONATION TO SUPPORT SHELTER ASSISTANCE IN GAZA

13 May 2015

Germany has announced a new EUR 37 million (US$ 41 million) contribution to the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA shelter assistance programme in Gaza. With a total contribution of EUR 80 million (US$ 93 million) to Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA programmes in Gaza to date, Germany is the second largest supporter of the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA response to the humanitarian crisis resulting from the 2014 conflict.

Germany’s support immediately following the 2014 conflict in Gaza was crucial to allow Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA to initiate its emergency shelter assistance programme and provide much-needed humanitarian relief. Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA has only received funding to rebuild 200 of the 9,161 Palestine refugee homes that have been assessed as totally destroyed. All of this funding has come from Germany. This new contribution will allow Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA to further develop its shelter assistance response.

The Director of Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA Operations in Gaza, Robert Turner, said: “The support from Germany for reconstruction and recovery in Gaza has been extraordinary. More than eight months after the summer 2014 conflict ended, the situation in Gaza remains desperate and the people of Gaza urgently need other donors to follow the excellent example set by Germany.”

The new donation was announced by Parliamentary State Secretary of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), Thomas Silberhorn, during a visit to Gaza on 12 May.

Speaking from Gaza, Mr. Silberhorn said: “Germany will continue to support reconstruction efforts in Gaza as an integral part of German-Palestinian development cooperation. Our cooperation with Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA in supporting Palestinian refugees in Gaza is crucial to reach the most vulnerable and to contribute to better living conditions.”

In 2014, Germany was the fifth-largest Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA donor in overall terms, with a total contribution of US$ 79 million.

BACKGROÄ¢¹½ÊÓƵD INFORMATION

Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA is a United Nations agency established by the General Assembly in 1949 and is mandated to provide assistance and protection to a population of some 5 million registered Palestine refugees. Its mission is to help Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, West Bank and the Gaza Strip to achieve their full potential in human development, pending a just solution to their plight. Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA’s services encompass education, health care, relief and social services, camp infrastructure and improvement, and microfinance.

Financial support to Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA has not kept pace with an increased demand for services caused by growing numbers of registered refugees, expanding need, and deepening poverty. As a result, the Agency's General Fund (GF), supporting Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA’s core activities and 97 per cent reliant on voluntary contributions, has begun each year with a large projected deficit. Currently the deficit stands at US$ 100 million.

For more information, please contact:

Christopher Gunness

Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA Spokesperson

Mobile:

+972 (0)54 240 2659

Office:

+972 (0)2 589 0267

Sami Mshasha

Chief of Communications & Arabic Language Spokesperson

Mobile:

+972 (0)54 216 8295

Office:

+972 (0)2 589 0724