Palestine refugees – Higher education – SecGen report

Offers by Member States of grants and scholarships for higher education,

including vocational training, for Palestine refugees

Report of the Secretary-General**

1.   The present report is submitted to the General Assembly in pursuance of paragraph 8 of its resolution 56/55 of 10 December 2001.

2.   The report includes the substance of responses from Member States and United Nations agencies to the appeal contained in that resolution, together with reference to further action taken by Member States and United Nations agencies in response to the appeal contained in General Assembly resolutions 32/90 F of 13 December 1977, 33/112 C of 18 December 1978, 34/52 C of 23 November 1979, 35/13 B of 3 November 1980, 36/146 H of 16 December 1981, 37/120 D of 16 December 1982, 38/83 D of 15 December 1983, 39/99 D of 14 December 1984, 40/165 D of 16 December 1985, 41/69 D of 3 December 1986, 42/69 D of 2 December 1987, 43/57 D of 6 December 1988, 44/47 D of 8 December 1989, 45/73 D of 11 December 1990, 46/46 D of 9 December 1991, 47/69 D of 14 December 1992, 48/40 D of 10 December 1993, 49/35 D of 9 December 1994, 50/28 of 6 December 1995, 51/127 of 13 December 1996, 52/60 of 10 December 1997, 53/49 of 3 December 1998, 54/72 of 6 December 1999 and 55/126 of 8 December 2000. By those resolutions, the Assembly appealed to all States, specialized agencies and non-governmental organizations to augment s pecial allocations for grants and scholarships to Palestine refugees; invited the relevant specialized agencies and other organizations of the United Nations system to continue, within their respective spheres of competence, to extend assistance for higher education to Palestine refugee students; and requested the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) to act as the recipient and trustee for such special allocations for grants and scholarships and to award them to qualified refugee candidates.

3.   In fiscal year 2002, the Government of Japan awarded 12 fellowships, through UNRWA, to Palestine refugees who were employed by UNRWA as vocational training staff at the eight vocational training centres in the UNRWA area of operations. These were processed by the Japan International Cooperation Agency. A review of that programme from its inception in 1985 and until 2001 shows that a total of 199 scholarships were offered by the Government of Japan, of which 187 have been processed. In 1989, the Government of Japan contributed US$ 1 million, to be spent over a five-year period, towards the UNRWA university scholarship programme for secondary school graduates. The recipients were Palestine refugee students from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Between 1993 and 2001, 161 students graduated from the programme in a wide range of specializations. The Government of Japan contributed an additional $400,000 in 1992, 1993 and 1994, $500,000 in 1995 and $600,000 in 1996 and 1997, to be spent over a five-year period, towards the UNRWA university scholarship programme for secondary school graduates from the UNRWA area of operations. The recipients were Palestine refugee students. In 1998, the Government of Japan contributed $71,000 for the university scholarship programme. That contribution was used in 1998/99 to cover the awards of 111 continuing students out of 154 hitherto financed by the UNRWA General Fund budget, the funding of which had been frozen owing to the financial problems faced by UNRWA. Funding of the awards for the remaining 43 students was covered from savings from previous Japanese contributions realized as a consequence of the early graduation of some students and the failure of others. In 1999, owing to the cancellation of the portion of the university scholarship fund that had been financed from the General Fund budget and the fact that funding from donors to finance the subprogramme was not forthcoming, the UNRWA Education Department used the funds already available from the Japanese contribution to finance the studies of most of the students through their graduation. A total of 154 recipients participated in the programme in the academic year 2001/02, while 529 students graduated in the period 1995-2001 ; and in the academic year 2000/01, two students failed. Those awards, while not provided specifically in response to the General Assembly resolution, are in keeping with its spirit and intent.

4.   The Government of Switzerland contributed $1,703,581 between 1989 and 1996 and $338,000 in 1997 to the UNRWA scholarship programme for secondary school graduates. Of the 315 students who benefited from part of the 1997 Swiss contribution for one year only, 67 graduated in 1998, 7 failed and 87 were granted scholarships in 1998/99 from savings realized from previous Swiss contributions, while the remaining 154 continuing students were financed in 1998/99 from other sources (see para 3). In 1999, owing to the cancellation of a portion of the university scholarship fund financed from the UNRWA General Fund budget and to the fact that financing was not forthcoming from donors to fund the subprogramme, the UNRWA Education Department used funds already available from the Swiss contribution to finance the graduation of the majority of students. The number of students from the five fields of the UNRWA area of operations in the academic year 2001/02 was 43, including 19 students who benefited from part of the 1997 Swiss contribution. Between 1993 and 2001, 394 students graduated, and in the academic year 2000/01, one student failed.

5.   The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, as part of its long-standing agreement with UNRWA and within the framework of the regular programme regarding scholarships for Palestinians, granted 37 scholarships in favour of Palestinian students during the 2000-2001 biennium.

6.   In academic year 2001/02, the World Health Organization provided a total of 37 fellowships/study tours for qualified Palestinian candidates, nominated by the Palestinian Authority, enrolled in various specializations.

7.   The United World Colleges has established its own selection committee in the area and therefore did not offer any scholarships through UNRWA for the 1997/98 school year. One scholarship was offered in each of the academic years 1998/99, 1999/00 and 2000/01 by Lester B. Pearson College of the Pacific, in Canada, and all three were processed.

8.   In July 2000, the International Development Research Centre pledged $1,314,607 to UNRWA to finance the Scholarship Fund for Palestine Refugee Women in Lebanon over a period of six years. In academic year 2001/02, 58 students were enrolled in 10 specializations at Lebanese universities.

9.   Mr. Samer Hamada pledged $80,000 to UNRWA over a period of four years ($20,000 per year), beginning in 2000/01 to finance university level study for 20 special hardship case students in Jordan. During academic year 2000/01, 20 students were enrolled in 12 specializations at various Jordanian universities.

10.   In 2000/01, the Cisco Learning Institute/International Youth Foundation project in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip funded 60 training scholarships under the Cisco Networking Academy Programme. These scholarships were distributed to 24 students in the Gaza Strip and 36 students in the West Bank.

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*A/57/150.

**The submission of this report was delayed due to the heavy demands placed on UNRWA staff by the ongoing emergency in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

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