{"id":287509,"date":"2023-06-02T17:07:07","date_gmt":"2023-06-02T21:07:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/?post_type=document&p=287509"},"modified":"2023-07-06T14:11:01","modified_gmt":"2023-07-06T18:11:01","slug":"pledges-at-funding-conference-not-sufficient-to-cover-unrwa-financial-requirements-from-september-onwards-unrwa-press-release","status":"publish","type":"document","link":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/document\/pledges-at-funding-conference-not-sufficient-to-cover-unrwa-financial-requirements-from-september-onwards-unrwa-press-release\/","title":{"rendered":"Pledges at Funding Conference Not Sufficient to Cover Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA Financial Requirements From September Onwards – Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA Press Release"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Arabic: \u0627\u0644\u0639\u0631\u0628\u064a\u0629<\/a><\/p>\n

Download multimedia package\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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NEW YORK, 2 June 2023<\/strong><\/p>\n

Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA) sounded the alarm about the\u00a0Agency\u2019s deepening funding crisis<\/a>. Addressing this year\u2019s Pledging Conference for Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA convened by the President of the General Assembly, Commissioner-General Lazzarini warned of the risk of the Agency\u2019s collapse.<\/p>\n

The international community once again confirmed its long-standing commitment to Palestine Refugees and Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA by providing political and financial backing. They reaffirmed the important and irreplaceable role of the Agency for millions of refugees. Collectively, Member States pledged US$ 812.3 million, of which US$ 107.2 million are new contributions[1]<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile we are grateful for the pledges announced, they are below the funds that the Agency needs to keep over 700 Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA schools and 140 clinics open from September onwards\u201d said Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini. \u201cWe will continue to work tirelessly with our partners, including host countries- the refugees\u2019 top supporters- to raise the funds needed\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

Some of the Agency\u2019s most committed donors have indicated they will substantially decrease their contributions in 2023.<\/p>\n

In a message delivered on behalf of the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Secretary-General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres, he said: \u201cThe prospect of peace remains remote. If anything, it is receding.\u00a0\u00a0Halfway into the new year, violence rages on without reprieve.\u00a0In this darkening picture, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA is one of the few rays of hope.\u00a0\u00a0I urge you to nurture and sustain this hope.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ahmad Abu Daqqa A 15-year-old Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA\u00a0student parliamentarian<\/a>\u00a0from Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip spoke at the conference about education: \u201cAs children, we find the meaning of childhood only within the pages of our books. Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA schools are our only refuge. It\u2019s where we find hope. We have dreams that reach the stars, despite the painful reality of our lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

Palestine Refugees feel the impact of underfunding on their lives every day. It adds to their feeling of abandonment and despair at a time when the prospect for a lasting solution has never been so out of reach.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany Member States today also acknowledged that as the Agency will soon mark 75 years, it is high time for a strategic discussion on a sustainable Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵRWA, until there is a political solution\u201d concluded Lazzarini.<\/p>\n

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ENDs-\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Notes to the Editor<\/strong><\/p>\n