{"id":178705,"date":"2010-12-31T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-03-11T20:43:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/?p=178705"},"modified":"2019-03-11T20:43:25","modified_gmt":"2019-03-11T20:43:25","slug":"auto-insert-178705","status":"publish","type":"document","link":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/document\/auto-insert-178705\/","title":{"rendered":"Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA – 2010 Annual report of the Commissioner-General"},"content":{"rendered":"
Report of the <\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n Commissioner-General <\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n of the United Nations <\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n Relief and Works Agency <\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n for Palestine Refugees in <\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n the Near East<\/strong><\/span> <\/span><\/p><\/div>\n <\/p><\/div>\n <\/p><\/div>\n <\/p><\/div>\n 1 January-31 December 2010<\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n <\/p>\n \n <\/p>\n \n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n \n <\/p><\/div>\n Letter of transmittal<\/span> <\/span><\/p><\/div>\n <\/p><\/div>\n I have the honour to submit to the General Assembly the report on the work of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA) for 2010. The report is submitted in compliance with paragraph 21 of Assembly resolution 302 (IV) and paragraph 8 of resolution 1315 (XIII). It describes Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA’s operational context, the principal legal matters that affected the Agency during the reporting period, main developments in the Agency’s reform process and the financial situation. Of special note is the presentation, for the first time in this annual report, of the Agency’s programme objectives in the format of its human development goals, in line with Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA’s medium-term strategy for 2010-2015. A brief summary of priorities by field of operation is also included.<\/span> <\/span><\/p><\/div>\n Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA’s Advisory Commission, which with the accession of Kuwait in 2011, comprises representatives of 24 Member States and three observer delegations, endorsed a draft of the report at its June 2011 session. The views of the Commission are contained in the attached letter addressed to me by its Chair. I continue to value the Commission’s constructive engagement and its ever-helpful advice. In accordance with usual practice, I have also shared a draft of the report with representatives of the Government of Israel.<\/span> <\/span><\/p><\/div>\n I take this opportunity to briefly update the General Assembly on developments in 2011. In the Gaza Strip, the situation remains dire. Very high unemployment and poverty rates persist and there is little hope of a significant improvement while the blockade remains in force. Against this backdrop, however, the Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA reconstruction programme was bolstered by the approval in June 2011, by the Government of Israel, of the importation into the Gaza Strip of construction materials for 20 Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA projects. This brings to 73 the total number of projects approved by the Israeli authorities since the easing of the blockade in June 2010. The blockade, however, remains the core obstacle to an economic recovery that the Gaza Strip desperately needs; lifting it is a priority for the United Nations.<\/span> <\/span><\/p><\/div>\n The situation in the West Bank and East Jerusalem is no less worrisome. Many Palestinians continue to suffer major restrictions on movement, residence and other fundamental freedoms, while Israeli settlements expand with each passing month. In addition to its regular work, Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA is supporting in particular some of the most vulnerable and marginalized refugee communities, including those directly affected by the West Bank barrier and Bedouin communities whose meagre economic assets and means of livelihood are subject to demolitions on a recurring basis. In East Jerusalem, Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA is rehabilitating and expanding its schools to improve educational performance and equip the next generation of Palestinian refugee students with the skills they need in their quest to seize opportunities and achieve a decent standard of living.<\/span> <\/span><\/p><\/div>\n In the Syrian Arab Republic, the Agency is facing very difficult challenges. The outbreak of protests in March 2011 and the response of Government security forces has affected Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA services in and around a number of refugee camps, where school enrolment, assistance to the most vulnerable and microfinance lending have been curtailed. As at June 2011, areas hosting the refugees had been spared the worst of the unrest. However, the Agency is concerned that refugee communities may become more directly affected and that it may be unable to continue providing services and ensure refugee well-being, should conditions worsen. Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA has communicated its concerns to the Syrian authorities and calls upon all parties to respect and protect the sanctity of human life as required by international law.<\/span> <\/span><\/p><\/div>\n In Lebanon, the formation of a new Government in July 2011 was a welcome development, following a lengthy transition that impeded progress on key refugee issues such as the implementation of 2010 legislation granting refugees access to a range of professions. With refugee frustration mounting over poor living conditions and limited access to health care, Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA is hopeful that it will receive the support necessary to address the various challenges.<\/span> <\/span><\/p><\/div>\n The refugee situation remains stable in Jordan, where the Government has addressed growing discontent with a range of measures in 2011, including an increase in the salaries of public sector employees. Because wages of Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA local staff are calibrated with public sector salaries, the financial impact on Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA is considerable. Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA is also contending with public sector salary increases in other fields of its operations, making management of our General Fund deficit in 2011, projected at $63 million as at June, more difficult and more urgent.<\/span> <\/span><\/p><\/div>\n Further progress was made in 2011 in developing the Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA sustaining change plan, which builds on the 2006-2009 organizational development process and aims to complete our institutional transformation over the next two bienniums. The plan outline, enriched by consultations with donors and hosts, was finalized in May. The sustaining change plan aims to invigorate our programmes, ensuring quality and effectiveness are improved where needed most, in our overcrowded schools, clinics and camp service centres.<\/span> <\/span><\/p><\/div>\n The challenges facing Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA are even greater because of the profound changes sweeping the region and the continuing uncertainty about the future that plagues Palestine refugee communities. Amidst instability, the certainty of support by the international community remains a pillar of hope for the refugees, who turn to Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA in growing numbers for basic services essential to their human development. The well-being of the refugees, and ensuring the effectiveness of Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA in contributing to it, remain a shared commitment of the international community pending a just and durable solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in all its aspects, including the refugee question. <\/p><\/div>\n \n <\/p>\n Letter dated 22 June 2011 from the Chair of the Advisory Committee of the United Nations Relief and Works <\/p><\/div>\n At its regular session held at the Dead Sea on 22 June 2011, the Advisory Commission of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA) considered the draft annual report on the activities and operations of Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA, covering the period from 1 January to 31 December 2010, to be submitted to the General Assembly at its forthcoming sixty-sixth session.<\/span> <\/span><\/p><\/div>\n The Commission commends Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA for its efforts to continue delivering its programmes and services to Palestine refugees in its fields of operation and underlines the vital role of Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA in contributing to regional stability until a just solution is reached, in accordance with relevant United Nations resolutions (General Assembly resolutions 194 (III) and 302 (IV)).<\/span> <\/span><\/p><\/div>\n The Commission is gravely concerned about the loss of life in 2010. The restrictions on access, notably in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, together with periods of violence, disproportionately affect the refugees, leading to even greater demand for Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA services. The Commission urges that access be permitted for all goods necessary for the Agency to carry out its humanitarian and human development activities. The Commission expresses deep concern regarding attacks and threats against Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA staff and facilities by all parties.<\/span> <\/span><\/p><\/div>\n The Commission notes with deep concern that the separation barrier, closures, curfews and other restrictions on movement imposed by the Israeli authorities in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip have led to further hardship for the affected population. These restrictions, including those with respect to East Jerusalem, continue to hinder economic development, specifically access to sources of employment and essential goods and services, and the ability of Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA to carry out its mandated tasks. The Commission calls for the removal of all Israeli restrictions regarding the movement of Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA staff and goods in accordance with the November 2005 Agreement on Movement and Access concluded between the Government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority and the 1967 Comay-Michelmore agreement between Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA and the Government of Israel. <\/p><\/div>\n The Commission calls on all parties to fully respect United Nations resolutions and international law, including international humanitarian law.<\/span> <\/span><\/p><\/div>\n The Commission remains concerned about the lack of Agency access to, and information on, its staff detained by relevant authorities. <\/p><\/div>\n The Commission welcomes progress on the issue of the right of Palestine refugees to work in Lebanon; this is a positive first step in helping refugees in Lebanon to expand their opportunities and improve their living conditions without prejudice to other rights they enjoy as refugees.<\/span> <\/span><\/p><\/div>\n The Commission restates its view that the enduring hardships of Palestine refugees underline the critical role of Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA. It remains concerned, as stated in previous years, about the long-term structural underfunding of the Agency, which has had an impact on service delivery. The Commission acknowledges and greatly appreciates the long-term support of major donors for Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA operations. It urges the international donor community as a whole to mobilize the resources needed, in particular for the Agency’s General Fund, to secure proper service delivery. At the same time, the Commission recognizes the efforts being made to incorporate greater efficiencies into programming and to broaden the donor base. It encourages Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA to intensify these efforts.<\/span> <\/span><\/p><\/div>\n Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA’s emergency appeal for $323 million for the occupied Palestinian territory in 2010 received $162.5 million or around 50 per cent. The Commission is concerned about the sharp decline in funding between 2009 and 2010 and calls on donors to redouble their efforts in this area.<\/span> <\/span><\/p><\/div>\n The Commission notes the urgent need for full support for the rebuilding of Nahr El-Bared camp and for relief assistance to those displaced following its destruction in 2007. The Commission urges its members and others to support the Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA appeal for the reconstruction of the camp and the support of displaced refugees living in neighbouring communities and to honour the pledges made at the International Donor Conference held in Vienna in 2008.<\/span> <\/span><\/p><\/div>\n The Commission emphasizes its ongoing support for sustaining the momentum of change within Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA with the aim of improving its effectiveness in delivering services to refugees in cooperation with host countries. The Commission urges Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA to hold further consultations with its stakeholders in preparing the sustaining change plan and the reforms of the programmatic activities of Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA that are at the core of the plan. The Commission also welcomes the medium-term strategy for 2010-2015, the introduction of field and headquarters implementation plans and reforms of the Agency’s programmatic activities. <\/p><\/div>\n The Commission highly commends the support by host countries, host authorities and donors to the work and activities of Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA.<\/span> <\/span><\/p><\/div>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Chapter I<\/strong><\/span> <\/span><\/p><\/div>\n Contextual overview <\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n <\/p><\/div>\n <\/p><\/div>\n A. Political, economic and security developments <\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n <\/p><\/div>\n <\/p><\/div>\n 1. In 2010, the political, economic and security conditions varied in each of the Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA five areas of operation, with distinct impact on the refugees that Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA serves. The relatively stable conditions in Jordan and the Syrian Arab Republic allowed Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA to pursue its core human development activities, within the Agency’s financial constraints. Conflict, violence and political uncertainty in the occupied Palestinian territory, and to a lesser degree in Lebanon, increased hardship for the refugees as well as challenges for the Agency. In all fields, the refugees, who suffer the historic effects of their displacement and dispossession, had to contend with the impact of the global economic downturn and the persistent gap between their basic needs and the Agency’s ability to respond with the entire complement of human development opportunities to which they are entitled. <\/p><\/div>\n 2. The situation in the occupied Palestinian territory was characterized by a continuing political impasse, conflict and restrictions on rights and opportunities for Palestinians, including refugees. In the context of a military occupation now more than four decades old, policies and practices, including house demolitions, movement restrictions, and the blockade of the Gaza Strip, contributed directly to the decade-long chronic humanitarian situation. In 2010, 87 Palestinians, including 9 children, were killed in the occupied Palestinian territory, and another 1,543, including 360 children, were injured in conflict-related violence.<\/span> <\/span>1<\/u><\/sup><\/a> <\/sup><\/span>A number of these deaths and injuries, reportedly including civilians, occurred in the context of a restricted zone within the Gaza Strip along the perimeter with Israel. Clashes during protests in the West Bank over settlements and the route of the barrier also contributed to Palestinian casualties during the reporting period. <\/span><\/p><\/div>\n 3. Despite some signs of economic improvement in parts of the occupied Palestinian territory, years of conflict, limited freedom of movement, as well as the blockade of the Gaza Strip, continued to be reflected in the dire economic situation of Palestine refugees. Using the narrow definition of the International Labour Organization, the unemployment rate among refugees stood at 29.4 per cent halfway through 2010, as compared with 20.1 per cent for non-refugees. Extreme poverty continued to grow in the Gaza Strip, with nearly 300,000 refugees identified by Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA as the abject poor at the end of 2010, compared with approximately 100,000 when the blockade commenced in 2007. In the West Bank, Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA found food insecurity levels of 21 per cent of 93,000 refugee families surveyed. A further 27 per cent were vulnerable, just barely able to make basic food purchases.<\/span> <\/span>2<\/u><\/sup><\/a> <\/sup><\/span> <\/span> <\/span><\/p><\/div>\n 4. On 31 May, tragic events occurred in international waters. On 20 June, the Government of Israel announced its decision to ease the blockade by improving access for a variety of consumer goods and some construction materials for a number of internationally funded and supervised projects. These projects are essential for the rehabilitation and expansion of the Agency’s education, health and sewage infrastructure, as well as rehousing for refugees who have lost their shelters and are living in unacceptable conditions. By the end of the reporting period, materials required by Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA to complete a total of 27 projects valued at
<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n
\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\nCommissioner-General<\/span> <\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n
\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\nAgency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East to the Commissioner-General of the Agency<\/strong><\/span> <\/span><\/p><\/div>\n
\nChair of the Advisory Commission<\/span> <\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n
<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n
\n$44 million had been approved by the Government of Israel for import into the Gaza Strip. As a result, for the first time since the blockade was imposed following the takeover by Hamas in June 2007, Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA was able to complete suspended projects for its beneficiaries. However, Agency operations continued to be impeded by a lengthy project approval process, delays in coordination of approved materials into the Gaza Strip and cumbersome procedures at the crossings. Moreover, the overall situation of the civilian population continued to be characterized by impoverishment during 2010. While recognizing Israel’s legitimate security concerns, Ä¢¹½ÊÓÆµRWA joined the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process in urging the Government of Israel to lift the blockade and permit normal trade to resume, enabling an urgently needed process of social and economic recovery to take place. <\/p><\/div>\n