{"id":215330,"date":"2019-06-25T16:35:38","date_gmt":"2019-06-25T20:35:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/?post_type=document&p=215330"},"modified":"2020-07-22T00:44:27","modified_gmt":"2020-07-22T04:44:27","slug":"donors-announce-contributions-at-pledging-conference-as-unrwa-faces-continuing-funding-crisis-press-release","status":"publish","type":"document","link":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/document\/donors-announce-contributions-at-pledging-conference-as-unrwa-faces-continuing-funding-crisis-press-release\/","title":{"rendered":"Donors Announce Contributions at Pledging Conference, as Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA Faces Continuing Funding Crisis \u2013 Press Release"},"content":{"rendered":"

SEVENTY-THIRD SESSION,<\/span>\u00a0AD HOC COMMITTEE FOR VOLÄ¢¹½ÊÓƵTARY CONTRIBUTIONS TO Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA (AM)
\n<\/span>GA\/12155-PAL\/2230<\/strong>
\n25 JÄ¢¹½ÊÓƵE 2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

Fran\u00e7ais<\/a><\/p>\n

Video<\/a><\/p>\n

Video<\/a>\u00a0(Remarks by Pierre Kr\u00e4henb\u00fchl, Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA)<\/p>\n

Video<\/a>\u00a0(Remarks by H.E. Ant\u00f3nio Guterres, Secretary-General)<\/p>\n

A total of 23\u00a0donors today announced contributions, or their intention to contribute, to the 2019\u00a0budget of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East\u00a0(Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA) after two young Palestinian students told the General Assembly Ad Hoc Committee how critical funding was making a deep, lasting and positive impact on the lives of millions of children like them.<\/p>\n

The voluntary contributions were made during a meeting of the Ad Hoc Committee, established by the General Assembly as the primary forum for announcing financial support.\u00a0 Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA has been providing health, education, relief and social services, as well as emergency humanitarian assistance, across its five fields of operation \u2014 Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, West Bank and the Gaza Strip \u2014 since\u00a01950.\u00a0 The Agency currently serves 5.4\u00a0million Palestinian refugees \u2014 20\u00a0per\u00a0cent of the world\u2019s refugees.<\/p>\n

Hanan Abu Asabah, President of the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA Student Parliament, said she that she studies more than just math, science and language at school.\u00a0 The students at the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA school learn about human rights and democracy.\u00a0 \u201cYes, I have lived a life of suffering, I hear the sound of explosions and bullets,\u201d she recalled.\u00a0 On her way to school, stops at checkpoints and humiliations are ordinary.\u00a0 But, the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA school gives her hope, she said, expressing concern that the schools risked closure in\u00a02018. \u00a0\u201cWe hope our schools will open on time this year, too,\u201d she said. \u00a0For Palestine refugee children, education is the most important thing they have.<\/p>\n

Hatem Hamdouna, President of the Gaza Student Parliament, said that he is just a child and he knows nothing about politics.\u00a0 \u201cI did not choose to live through war and blockade,\u201d he said, adding: \u00a0\u201cThe scenes of war and destruction still haunt me.\u201d\u00a0 Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA schools give kids a sense of normality.\u00a0 Gaza is much more than war. \u00a0Children there do not want to be seen as victims.\u00a0 \u201cI chose to study hard and become a young leader,\u201d he said, emphasizing that an Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA education taught him about his rights and how to practice them.\u00a0 \u201cÄ¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA education is just like oxygen; it keeps us alive.\u201d<\/p>\n

Secretary-General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres, acknowledging Ms.\u00a0Abu Sabeh and Mr.\u00a0Hamdouna\u2019s efforts and achievements, stressed: \u00a0\u201cThey are the future and they deserve our support.\u201d\u00a0 Emphasizing that it is tragic that a political solution has not been reached, he urged parties to work towards peace and the establishment of two States.\u00a0 Meanwhile, millions of children have benefited from an Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA education and the Agency has provided fundamental services for millions more.\u00a0 However, a current funding shortfall will only grow unless Member States act soon.\u00a0 While Agency reforms have reduced costs by $500\u00a0million, widened its donor base and have continued to seek solid and predictable financial resources, Member States still provide the bulk of funding.\u00a0 Given what is at stake at the human, political and security levels, he called on Member States to act today.<\/p>\n

Mar\u00eda Fernanda Espinosa Garc\u00e9s\u00a0(Ecuador), General Assembly President, applauding the work of Ms.\u00a0Abu Sabeh and Mr.\u00a0Hamdouna, described the challenge ahead, highlighting the serious funding shortfall \u2014 $211\u00a0million \u2014 at a time when the Agency continues to serve millions.\u00a0 She asked Member States to consider the consequences of the Agency ceasing its work, from effect on the boys and girls attending schools to ramifications for the wider region.\u00a0 \u201cThis is not a matter of charity,\u201d she said.\u00a0 \u201cIt is about responsibility, about upholding human dignity and human rights,\u201d and honouring commitments made in the 2030\u00a0Agenda for Sustainable Development to leave no one behind.<\/p>\n

Pierre Kr\u00e4henb\u00fchl, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA Commissioner-General, said the current situation in the Middle East has escalated needs, with the depth of psychosocial trauma reaching epidemic proportions in Gaza, while home demolitions and forced evictions continue alongside a lack of freedom of movement in the West Bank.\u00a0 \u201cWe must persevere,\u201d he said, calling on all Member States to sustain the positive dynamic created in\u00a02018 to overcome the unprecedented $446\u00a0million deficit.\u00a0 \u201cIf every donor could maintain its level of contribution of last year, we could cover our financial needs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pledges<\/u><\/p>\n

The following delegations confirmed 2019\u00a0pledges in the following amounts: \u00a0European Union (\u20ac21\u00a0million); Turkey ($10\u00a0million); Philippines ($10,000); India\u00a0($5\u00a0million); Sweden ($5\u00a0million); France (\u20ac20\u00a0million); Germany\u00a0(\u20ac29\u00a0million); New Zealand ($1\u00a0million); Belgium (\u20ac11.6\u00a0million total for\u00a02019); Estonia\u00a0(\u20ac280,000); Ireland ($22\u00a0million); Norway ($2\u00a0million in addition to $26.4\u00a0million already paid); Indonesia ($200,000 in addition to the $1\u00a0million already paid); United Kingdom\u00a0($24\u00a0million for a total of $83\u00a0million for 2019\u20112020); Switzerland\u00a0($1\u00a0million to the $21\u00a0million already paid in\u00a02019); Kazakhstan\u00a0($50,000); Pakistan ($250,000); Cyprus (\u20ac100,000) and the Holy See\u00a0($40,000).<\/p>\n

The following delegations indicated pledges pending approval: \u00a0Austria (\u20ac1.95\u00a0million to a Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA health programme), Mexico, Malaysia and Italy.<\/p>\n

The following delegations also drew attention to the contributions and commitments they had already made in multi-year pledges and arrangements with Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA: \u00a0Canada (Can$110\u00a0million for 2016-2019); Iceland ($1\u00a0million over four years); Japan ($32\u00a0million this year so far); Finland (\u20ac20\u00a0million over four years); Australia ($A80\u00a0million for 2016\u20112020); Qatar ($16\u00a0million for 2019-2020) and the Russian Federation ($10\u00a0million for 2017-2021).<\/p>\n

Further support for Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA was expressed by representatives of Jordan, Lebanon, Republic of Korea, Egypt, Algeria, China, Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Tunisia and Iraq with no specific pledges announced.<\/p>\n

Following those interventions, the Deputy Permanent Observer for the State of Palestine expressed gratitude to Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA\u2019s national and international staff. \u00a0\u201cIt is their daily work \u2014 at times at risk to their own lives \u2014 that ensures the delivery of the Agency\u2019s core services,\u201d she said.\u00a0 That Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA was able to remedy its shortfall in\u00a02018 is a testament to what can be realized when commitment is upheld.\u00a0 Absent a just solution, even the slightest speculation of Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA\u2019s work is extremely concerning.\u00a0 She commended the international community and its commitment to the multilateral system to solving the most pressing problems. \u00a0She rejected claims that Palestinians are an \u201caid community living in camps\u201d.\u00a0 They had been steadfast and contributed to their communities.<\/p>\n

Mr.\u00a0Kr\u00e4henb\u00fchl then made a closing statement and thanked delegations for their pledges.<\/p>\n

For information media. Not an official record.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

SEVENTY-THIRD SESSION,\u00a0AD HOC COMMITTEE FOR VOLÄ¢¹½ÊÓƵTARY CONTRIBUTIONS TO Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA (AM) GA\/12155-PAL\/2230 25 JÄ¢¹½ÊÓƵE 2019 Fran\u00e7ais Video Video\u00a0(Remarks by Pierre Kr\u00e4henb\u00fchl, Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA) Video\u00a0(Remarks by H.E. Ant\u00f3nio Guterres, Secretary-General) A total of 23\u00a0donors today announced contributions, or their intention to contribute, to the 2019\u00a0budget of […]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":172,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"template":"template-page.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"country":[],"document-category":[2433,1329,2805,4389],"document-source":[1365,1897,1817],"committee-meeting":[],"document-subject":[1945,1745],"entity":[1729],"document-language":[6542,6541],"class_list":["post-215330","document","type-document","status-publish","hentry","document-category-french-text","document-category-press-release","document-category-video","document-category-webcast","document-source-general-assembly","document-source-united-nations-department-of-public-information-dpi","document-source-united-nations-relief-and-works-agency-for-palestine-refugees-in-the-near-east-unrwa","document-subject-assistance","document-subject-refugees-and-displaced-persons","entity-united-nations-system","document-language-english","document-language-french"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/215330","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\/215330\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=215330"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"country","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country?post=215330"},{"taxonomy":"document-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-category?post=215330"},{"taxonomy":"document-source","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-source?post=215330"},{"taxonomy":"committee-meeting","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/committee-meeting?post=215330"},{"taxonomy":"document-subject","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-subject?post=215330"},{"taxonomy":"entity","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/entity?post=215330"},{"taxonomy":"document-language","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-language?post=215330"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}