Polish Contribution to the General Fund

14 September: Deputy Commissioner General Filippo Grandi expressed UNRWA’s gratitude on receiving a cheque for $ 60,000, the annual Polish contribution to the General Fund, from Mr. Piotr Puchta, Representative of the Republic of Poland to the Palestinian Authority.

Mr. Grandi thanked the Polish government for sending out an important signal to other nations on the symbolic and very real value of each donation.

$60,000 would allow UNRWA to provide, for example, food supplies to more than five thousand people for two months.

Mr. Puchta said: "I feel that UNRWA is doing a great job under difficult circumstances and this is also the feeling of the Polish government".

The Polish government began annual contributions to the General Fund in 1999 with a donation of $20,000. The total contribution for this year has risen by a further $10,000 from 2006.

Mr. Grandi and Mr. Puchta also took the opportunity during their meeting to discuss the potential for further contributions from Poland to the 2007 Gaza Emergency Appeal.