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HISTORY AND ESTABLISHMENT OF UNRWA FINAL STATUS ISSUES AND PEACE NEGOTIATIONS COOPERATION WITH OTHER U.N. AGENCIES AND INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS UNRWA ASSISTANCE IN THE OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY
HISTORY AND ESTABLISHMENT OF UNRWA Who provided emergency relief to the Palestine refugees before the establishment of UNRWA? Immediately after the Arab-Israeli hostilities of 1948, emergency assistance to Palestine refugees was provided by international organizations such as the International Committee of the Red Cross, League of Red Cross Societies and the American Friends Service Committee. In November 1948, the United Nations established the United Nations Relief for Palestine Refugees (UNRPR) to extend aid and relief to Palestine refugees and coordinate efforts of NGOs and other UN bodies such as the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), World Health Organization (WHO) and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the International Refugee Organization. The United Nations established the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) under UN General Assembly Resolution 302 (IV), of 8 December,1949, as a subsidiary organ of the United Nations. UNRWA's mandate has been renewed every three years since 1949, and is expected to continue to be renewed pending a just settlement to the refugee problem. When did UNRWA begin its field operations? UNRWA began its field operations on 1 May 1950. The Agency inherited the assets of the UNRPR and took over the ICRC’s refugee registration records. If UNRWA was set up as a temporary Agency, why is it still working after over 50 years? UNRWA was mandated " to carry out direct relief and works programmes in collaboration with local governments," to "consult with the Near Eastern governments concerning measures to be taken preparatory to the time when international assistance for relief and works projects is no longer available" and to plan for the time when relief was no longer needed. UNRWA’s mandate has been repeatedly renewed by the UN General Assembly. The current mandate runs till 30 June, 2011, wherein the UN General Assembly has expressed its awareness of the “continuing needs of Palestine refugees throughout the occupied Palestinian territory and in other fields of operation” and noted that the “functioning of the Agency remains essential in all fields of operation”.
Where does UNRWA's money come from? How is UNRWA financed? Most funding comes from voluntary contributions of donor states. UNRWA's largest donors are the United States, European Commission, the U.K and Sweden. Other major donors include the Arab States of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Scandinavian countries, Japan and Canada. A small portion comes from non-governmental organizations and concerned individuals. The United Nations Secretariat finances 110 international staff posts from its regular budget and UNESCO and WHO provide assistance in the staffing of the education and health programmes. Who are UNRWA's biggest donors? The European Commission was the largest donor in 2007, followed by the.USA. However, in terms of donations relative to population size and GDP per capita, the Scandinavian countries top the list. Why is UNRWA not part of the UN assessed contribution system? When UNRWA was established as a temporary agency the United Nations and member states thought it would be in the interest of both UNRWA and the refugees if the Agency was able to collect voluntary contributions of any amount from member states. However, the United Nations finances all international staff posts from its regular budget. Do donor countries intend to increase their financial contributions to the Agency? Donor countries strongly support UNRWA's work, and the Palestine refugees. In their eyes, UNRWA provides important human development for Palestine refugees in the region, crucial emergency assistance in times of need, and a measure of stability in an often volatile environment. In terms of national currencies, contributions are increasing. UNRWA's budget is dollar-based and UNRWA expenditures are in dollars. In recent years, Agency income and expenditure have increased as a result of the falling US dollar. However, despite the overall growth in contributions, funding is not keeping pace with the growth of the refugee population nor with increased refugee needs. This has led to a worrying erosion in the quality of UNRWA services. The number of registered refugees in the oPt, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan has increased by more than 100,000 between June 2006 and June 2007. What is UNRWA’s budget? UNRWA’s regular cash and in-kind budget for 2007 is US$ 505 million, although expenditure is likely to be less because of forecast shortfalls in donation income. Due to the humanitarian crisis in the occupied Palestinian territory caused by the conflict and Israeli closures, UNRWA has launched repeated emergency appeals for emergency food, employment and cash assistance. In 2007 the Agency is asking for an additional $246 million to cover these emergency needs. What does UNRWA spend most of its money on? More than half of UNRWA’s budget is spent on the education programme, which in 2007 is budgeted to receive $277.2 million. The health programme is forecast to receive $95.9 million while the relief and social services programme will receive $43 million. Operational and common services will receive $89 million combined.
Who are the Palestinian refugees? There are several groups and categories of Palestinian refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs): UNRWA-registered 1948 refugees and their descendants, unregistered 1948 refugees and their descendants, internally displaced Palestinians in Israel, and persons displaced as a result of the June 1967 war and their descendants. UNRWA coverage extends to registered Palestine refugees residing in UNRWA's areas of operation in the occupied Palestinian territory (West Bank, Gaza strip), Lebanon, Jordan and the Syrian Arab Republic only, who number 4.4 million in 2007. Who is a Palestine refugee? For operational purposes, UNRWA has defined Palestine refugee as any person whose "normal place of residence was Palestine during the period 1 June 1946 to 15 May 1948 and who lost both home and means of livelihood as a result of the 1948 conflict." Palestine refugees eligible for UNRWA assistance, are mainly persons who fulfill the above definition and descendants of fathers fulfilling the definition. In May 1951, UNRWA inherited a list of 950,000 persons from its predecessor agencies, the United Nations Relief for Palestine Refugees, the International Committee of the Red Cross and the American Friends Service Committee. In the first 4 months of operations, UNRWA reduced this list to 860,000 persons, based on "painstaking census efforts", "fraudulent claims" and a desire to "remove undeserving individuals from its relief rolls." The 1948 registered refugees and their descendants now number over 4.5 million, and mainly reside in the West Bank, Gaza, Jordan, Lebanon or Syria. These are the refugees covered under UNRWA’s mandate. It should be noted that UNRWA's definition of refugees is necessarily restricted to those eligible to receive its aid, as the definition explicitly states that the refugee must have lost both home and means of livelihood to be eligible for registration with UNRWA. Thus, for the purposes of repatriation or compensation, as envisaged in UN General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution 194 (III) of December 1948, the term "Palestine refugee" is used with a different, much less restrictive meaning as compared to UNRWA’s need-based definition. Does UNRWA provide services to all Palestine refugees? UNRWA services are available to all Palestine refugees, over 4.5 million, who are registered with the Agency in the Area of Operations (Jordan, Lebanon, Syrian Arab Republic, the West Bank and Gaza Strip). Not all Palestine refugees opted to register with UNRWA and not all those who opted to register were eligible to receive service. There are many Palestinian refugees who are not registered with UNRWA or who reside outside UNRWA's areas of operation, and are therefore unable to have access to UNRWA services. The UN General Assembly has asked on an annual basis the Commissioner-General of UNRWA "to continue to provide humanitarian assistance, as far as practicable, on an emergency basis, and as a temporary measure, to persons in the area who are currently displaced and in serious need of continued assistance as a result of the June 1967 and subsequent hostilities." There have been times when UNRWA’s assistance has been extended to persons who do not fall within the standard definition of a Palestine refugee. For instance, in 1988, from the outbreak of the first Intifada and based on the urging of the UNGA, UNRWA pledged to provide "as far as practicable, humanitarian assistance on an emergency basis, and as a temporary measure, to non-refugees in the occupied territories who are in serious need”. During the second Intifada in the West Bank and Gaza, which began in 2000, UNRWA also provided some food assistance to non-refugees suffering from Israeli closures in isolated areas of the West Bank.
Does UNRWA run the refugee camps? UNRWA is responsible for running its education, health, and relief and social services, which are located inside and outside camps. UNRWA does not administer the camps nor does UNRWA have a political role in running the camps. Who owns the land the camps are built on? Host governments designated areas of land for refugee camps. While some of the land is state-owned, the majority is privately owned land that is leased by the host government. UNRWA does not own the land. Why does UNRWA not officially recognize some refugee camps? UNRWA-recognized refugee camps are situated on land that was originally allocated by host governments. The host governments may refer to large concentrations of refugees in other areas as “camps”, such as Yarmouk in Damascus. UNRWA also provides services in these areas.
FINAL STATUS ISSUES AND PEACE NEGOTIATIONS What is UNRWA’s attitude towards UN General Assembly Resolution 194 (III)? UNRWA, as a United Nations organization, is governed by all relevant United Nations resolutions, including those on the Palestine question. Is UNRWA involved in the Middle East peace negotiations and in the discussions on a solution to the refugee issue? No. UNRWA is a humanitarian UN agency and its mandate from the UN General Assembly defines its role as one of providing services to the refugees. As such, the Agency is not involved in the political discussions on the future of the refugees.
COOPERATION WITH OTHER U.N. AGENCIES AND INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS Why do Palestinian refugees not come under the mandate of UNHCR? Palestine refugees were specifically and intentionally excluded from the international refugee law regime established by the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and the 1967 Protocol thereto, as long as the Palestine refugees receive assistance from UNRWA. UNHCR was established by UN General Assembly Resolution 319 (IV) of 3 December 1949 and is guided by the 1951 Convention. The Statute of UNHCR was adopted by the General Assembly in 1950 as an annex to Resolution 428 (V) of 14 December 1950. UNHCR, however, has always supported Palestine refugees insofar as its constitution permits. What is the difference between UNRWA and UNHCR? UNRWA is only responsible for providing services to one group of refugees, the Palestine refugees, in its areas of operation. UNHCR is responsible for refugees worldwide. UNRWA is mandated to provide the Palestine refugees with humanitarian assistance, whereas UNHCR has the mandate to provide international protection to refugees who fall within the scope of its Statute and to seek permanent solutions for the problem of refugees by assisting Governments. UNRWA has a unique role as it is the only UN agency that reports directly to the UN General Assembly, and whose beneficiary population stems from one nation-group. Does UNRWA work with other UN organizations in the region? UNRWA works closely with the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organizations (UNESCO) in the areas of education and health. WHO and UNESCO second several senior international staff to assist in the running of the Agency’s education and health programmes. UNRWA also works closely with the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process. Does UNRWA work with non-governmental organizations? Staff from UNRWA and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) work together to run essential services for Palestine refugees, continuing a tradition of UNRWA-NGO partnership and co-operation which dates back to the establishment of the Agency. They are generally medical-humanitarian, human rights and development oriented. In particular, partnerships afford technical expertise and training.
UNRWA ASSISTANCE IN THE OCCUPIED PALESTINIAN TERRITORY Why did UNRWA continue its operations in the West Bank and Gaza after the Palestinian Authority was established? The Palestinian Authority falls under the same category as the host governments of Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. Until the refugee issue is solved and as long as there is a need for relief, UNRWA will continue providing services to the refugees in these areas. The Palestinian Authority strongly supports the continuation of UNRWA’s operations in support of the refugees. What is the relationship between UNRWA and the host governments/Palestinian Authority? UNRWA maintains close cooperation with the host governments and Palestinian Authority and liaises with their relevant authorities on matters concerning UNRWA’s operations and the provision of services to the Palestine refugees. How is UNRWA responding to the current humanitarian crisis emerging from the intifada and Israeli closures in the West Bank and Gaza Strip? UNRWA has launched a series of emergency appeals for emergency food, employment and cash assistance, As of September 2007 over $125 million had been raised for the Emergency Fund (confirmed cash and in-kind pledges), 51 per cent of the total requested. The Emergency programme serves over one million people in the West Bank and Gaza Strip who have been impoverished by the conflict. Emergency assistance consists of food assistance (flour, oil, rice, etc.), employment assistance (temporary job creation), shelter re-building for those whose homes have been demolished and some cash assistance. UNRWA provides this emergency assistance in addition to its regular programme services in the areas of relief and social services, education and health and other assistance. Is UNRWA now closing down its services in anticipation of the imminent closure of the Agency? No, UNRWA services are not being closed down. However, the Agency has been forced to implement austerity measures over the last few years due to lack of funds: financial contributions have not increased sufficiently to keep pace with inflation and a rising refugee population. This has resulted in a reduction in services as is evident in the fact that average annual spending per refugee has fallen from about $ 200 in 1975 to around $110 now (based on General Fund cash and in kind budget 2007). Nevertheless, UNRWA’s commitment to the Palestine refugees remains undiminished, and the Agency will continue to serve them pending a just settlement of the refugee problem.
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