{"id":125251,"date":"2017-12-10T19:34:16","date_gmt":"2017-12-10T19:34:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/?post_type=document&p=125251"},"modified":"2017-12-29T02:54:48","modified_gmt":"2017-12-28T21:54:48","slug":"statement-by-unrwa-commissioner-general-krahenbuhl-on-the-agencys-financial-situation","status":"publish","type":"document","link":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/document\/statement-by-unrwa-commissioner-general-krahenbuhl-on-the-agencys-financial-situation\/","title":{"rendered":"Statement by Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA Commissioner General Kr\u00e4henb\u00fchl on the Agency’s Financial Situation"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The level of anxiety and tension has risen again in the Middle-East and all eyes are turned to Jerusalem.<\/p>\n

I stand here within the Old City of Jerusalem to assure you – the Palestine Refugees – that Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA is more determined than ever to protect your rights and meet your needs. Nothing is more important to me than fulfilling that mission. It is a mandate that reflects the will of the international community and was extended by the United Nations General Assembly a year ago.<\/p>\n

Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA continues to face a challenging financial situation for the remainder of this year. Our deficit is now 49 Million Dollars. That is still a large amount.<\/p>\n

As we near the end of 2017, I am therefore acutely conscious of the profound concern that refugees and Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA staff feel about a disruption of Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA services.<\/p>\n

I have taken exceptional steps, including special appeals to the highest levels of the international community, and internal measures, to preserve our vital work. I am grateful for the strong support of hosts and donors.<\/p>\n

So, today I am announcing that Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA services – here in East-Jerusalem, in the West Bank, Gaza, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon – will continue without interruption in 2017.<\/p>\n

Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA’s 711 schools will remain open. Palestine refugee students will continue to have access to the education that develops their skills and preserves their opportunities.<\/p>\n

Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA’s 143 clinics will remain open and Palestine refugees will have access to the care, both physical and psychosocial, that is so dearly needed.<\/p>\n

Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA’s relief and social services, sanitation and camp improvement work, its micro-finance, protection and emergency activities will continue in all fields.<\/p>\n

I call on all our partners – host and donors – to further increase their mobilization in support of our services, which must continue until a just and lasting solution has been found. It is a matter of dignity for the 5.3 million Palestine refugees.<\/p>\n

On 6 December, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr Ant\u00f3nio Guterres, spoke for the entire United Nations when he said “Jerusalem is a final status issue that must be resolved through direct negotiations between the two parties on the basis of the relevant Security Council and General Assembly resolutions [\u2026]There is no alternative to the Two-State Solution. There is no plan B”.<\/p>\n

And earlier this year, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA’s role was described as indispensable by the United Nations General Assembly in New York. It did so because it has a responsibility towards you, the Palestine Refugees. The future of your children matters and Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA stands for you. Not for charity, but for respect and for rights, for hope and for dignity.<\/p>\n

Our common humanity depends on it.<\/p>\n

I thank you.<\/p>\n

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BACKGROÄ¢¹½ÊÓƵD INFORMATION<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA is confronted with an increased demand for services resulting from a growth in the number of registered Palestine refugees, the extent of their vulnerability and their deepening poverty. Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions and financial support has been outpaced by the growth in needs. As a result, the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA Programme Budget, which supports the delivery of core essential services, operates with a large shortfall. Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA encourages all Member States to work collectively to exert all possible efforts to fully fund the Agency\u2019s Programme Budget. Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA emergency programmes and key projects, also operating with large shortfalls, are funded through separate funding portals.<\/p>\n

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

For more information, please contact:<\/div>\n
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Christopher Gunness<\/b><\/div>\n
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Spokesperson, Director of Advocacy & Strategic Communications<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Mobile:<\/div>\n
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+972 (0)54 240 2659<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Office:<\/div>\n
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+972 (0)2 589 0267<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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c.gunness@unrwa.org<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Sami Mshasha<\/b><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Chief of Communications, Arabic Language Spokesperson<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Mobile:<\/div>\n
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+972 (0)54 216 8295<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Office:<\/div>\n
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+972 (0)258 90724<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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s.mshasha@unrwa.org<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

video The level of anxiety and tension has risen again in the Middle-East and all eyes are turned to Jerusalem. I stand here within the Old City of Jerusalem to assure you – the Palestine Refugees – that Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA is more determined than ever to protect your rights and meet your needs. Nothing is more […]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":172,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"country":[],"document-category":[1338,2805],"document-source":[1817],"committee-meeting":[],"document-subject":[1945,1961,1745],"entity":[1729],"document-language":[6542],"class_list":["post-125251","document","type-document","status-publish","hentry","document-category-statement","document-category-video","document-source-united-nations-relief-and-works-agency-for-palestine-refugees-in-the-near-east-unrwa","document-subject-assistance","document-subject-jerusalem","document-subject-refugees-and-displaced-persons","entity-united-nations-system","document-language-english"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/125251","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/document"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/172"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/125251\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=125251"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"country","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country?post=125251"},{"taxonomy":"document-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-category?post=125251"},{"taxonomy":"document-source","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-source?post=125251"},{"taxonomy":"committee-meeting","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/committee-meeting?post=125251"},{"taxonomy":"document-subject","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-subject?post=125251"},{"taxonomy":"entity","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/entity?post=125251"},{"taxonomy":"document-language","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-language?post=125251"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}