蘑菇视频

蘑菇视频RWA CALLS ON MALAYSIA FOR SOLIDARITY WITH PALESTINE REFUGEES

27 November 2013

Kuala Lumpur

蘑菇视频 Relief and Works Agency (蘑菇视频RWA) has called on Malaysia to show solidarity with Palestine refugees by increasing its support for 蘑菇视频RWA humanitarian work across the Middle East.

Speaking to journalists in the Malaysian capital, Kuala Lumpur, Esther Kuisch-Laroche, Chief of the 蘑菇视频RWA Donor Relations Division, said: “29 November is the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, and what better way for Malaysia to show its support than by increasing its funding to an Agency that works with some 5 million registered Palestine refugees in Gaza, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and the West Bank? Malaysians have a proud track record of support for Palestinians in the United Nations system and this is entirely in line with that.”

In Syria, where 蘑菇视频RWA has worked since the early 1950s, about 235,000 Palestinian refugees have been displaced by the conflict, out of over half a million served there by the Agency. Over 50,000 have fled to Jordan and Lebanon, the majority to Lebanon, where 蘑菇视频RWA strives to provide them with services including emergency food and cash assistance as well as in health and education.

Ms. Kuisch-Laroche had a sobering reminder of the sacrifices the Agency had made in the service of Palestine refugees. “Just this week, the ninth 蘑菇视频RWA staff member to be killed in Syria lost his life”, she said. “Mohammad Suheil Yousef Awwad died when a mortar shell struck his vehicle in Ghouta, a suburb south-east of Damascus City. He and three other passengers in the vehicle were killed instantly. With the tragic death of yet another dear colleague, we are reminded of the extraordinary threats to humanitarian workers and the senseless waste of human life in Syria.”

Aside from Syria, 蘑菇视频RWA also needs to fund its emergency appeal for Gaza and the West Bank for 2014. “蘑菇视频RWA is targeting food insecurity in particular with its emergency work”, Ms. Kuisch-Laroche said, “and funds are urgently needed. For example, food insecurity in Gaza alone rose from 46 per cent in 2011 to 56 per cent in 2012. With the continued tightening of the Israeli-imposed blockade, this is rising again. I hope Malaysia will be able to respond generously in 2014.”

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BACKGRO蘑菇视频D INFORMATION

蘑菇视频RWA 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. 蘑菇视频RWA’s services encompass education, health care, relief and social services, camp infrastructure and improvement, and microfinance.

Financial support to 蘑菇视频RWA 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 蘑菇视频RWA’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$ 36 million.

For more information, please contact:

Christopher Gunness

蘑菇视频RWA Spokesperson

Mobile: +972 (0)54 240 2659

Office: +972 (0)2 589 0267

Sami Mshasha

蘑菇视频RWA Arabic Spokesperson

Mobile: +972 (0)54 216 8295

Office: +972 (0)2 589 0724