Commissioner-General’s Statement International Nursing Day, Gaza, 18 May 2009

"Fellow" nurses,

I am pleased to be with you today, for the second consecutive year, to mark International Nursing Day 2009. This day is set aside to express our appreciation for the extraordinary work each UNRWA nurse has done – and continues to do - for Palestine refugees in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.

As a former nurse myself, I know that nursing is a most demanding profession. It requires, among other things, genuine compassion, total commitment and an ability to work long hours. I am proud to say, that these qualities are clearly demonstrated by UNRWA’s nurses, who excel through professionalism and a caring approach to their work.

While the day-to-day performance of nurses in Gaza is commendable in itself, what is even more remarkable is the role they played, alongside other health staff, during the recent conflict in Gaza. That was a harrowing time for all Gazans, when there were no places of safety and our schools and clinics were flooded with people in need.

You and your colleagues made sacrifices, often risking your lives and leaving your families to help people who needed attention in clinics, shelters and schools. Your courage, selflessness and personal sacrifices, helped the people of Gaza through an extraordinarily difficult time and contributed greatly to enhancing UNRWA’s reputation around the word. I offer to you my sincere thanks and believe that your example will serve as an inspiration to many.

On this International Nursing Day, we must look to these achievements with justified pride, but without complacency. Much remains to be done to raise the standard of primary health care to levels commensurate with what Palestine refugees need and deserve. Therefore, I appeal to all UNRWA nurses in Gaza and across the five fields never to cease striving for excellence in every aspect of their work.

I ask that you maintain and build upon the selflessness and dedication that should be a hallmark of all UNRWA staff. And I call on you to continue seeking the well-being of the Palestine refugees we serve, until the day their plight is resolved through a just and lasting solution.