Tuesday, October 31, 2023

“UN Agency for Palestinian Refugees Raises Only 1/3 of $300M Goal”

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The UN agency for Palestinian refugees, known as UNRWA, has been warned by the UN chief that it is on the brink of financial collapse. Despite this warning, donors at a pledging conference on Friday only provided $107 million in new funds, which is significantly less than the $300 million required to continue helping millions of people. Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner general of UNRWA, expressed gratitude for the new pledges, but stated that they are below the required amount to keep over 700 schools and 140 clinics open from September through December. At the beginning of the year, UNRWA appealed for $1.6 billion for its programs, operations, and emergency response across Syria, Lebanon, the Israeli-occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip, and Jordan. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that “when UNRWA’s future hangs in the balance so do the lives of millions of Palestine refugees relying on essential services.”

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