Proposed programme budget for the biennium 2008-2009*
Part VI
Human rights and humanitarian affairs
Section 25
Palestine refugees
(Programme 21 of the biennial programme plan and priorities for the period 2008-2009)**
Content………………………………………………………………………………………………..page
Overview……………………………………………………………………………………………………2
Programme of work………………………………………………………………………………………4
Subprogramme 1. Education……………………………………………………………………………4
Subprogramme 2. Health………………………………………………………………………………..7
Subprogramme 3. Relief and social services………………………………………………………..11
Subprogramme 4. Microfinance and microenterprise……………………………………………..13
Annex
Outputs produced in 2006-2007 not to be carried out in the biennium 2008-2009…………..20
* A summary of the approved programme budget will subsequently be issued as Official Records of the General Assembly, Sixty-second Session, Supplement No. 6 (A/62/6/Add.1).
** Official Records of the General Assembly, Sixty-first Session, Supplement No. 6 (A/61/6/Rev.1).
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Overview
25.1 The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) was established as a separate entity within the United Nations system and as a subsidiary organ of the General Assembly by resolution 302 (IV), from which UNRWA derives its mandate to provide continued assistance for the relief of Palestine refugees. Since starting its work in 1950, UNRWA has become the largest operational agency in the Middle East and has demonstrated the capacity to adapt and enhance its programmes, as required, to meet the evolving needs of refugees and to cope with developments in the region. It stands ready to continue to do so during the biennium 2008-2009 in accordance with the triennial mandate it receives from the Assembly.
25.2 UNRWA reports directly to the General Assembly. Overall review of UNRWA programmes and activities is undertaken by the 23-member Advisory Commission, which includes representatives of the Agency’s major donors and host Governments. In its resolution 3331 B (XXIX), the Assembly decided that, with effect from 1 January 1975, the expenses relating to the emoluments of international staff in the service of UNRWA, which would otherwise have been charged to voluntary contributions, should be financed by the regular budget of the United Nations for the duration of the Agency’s mandate.
25.3 The strategic objectives of UNRWA for the biennium 2008-2009 are to support the educational, social and economic development of the Palestine refugees, to provide targeted relief and social support for the most vulnerable refugees, particularly women, children and the disabled, and to increase the investment of the international community in improving the welfare of Palestine refugees.
25.4 UNRWA aims to achieve its objectives by maintaining and improving the provision of education and health services, relief and social support and microfinance loans to registered Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, the Syrian Arab Republic, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, a population that may reach 4.5 million by 2008.
25.5 Since 2000, the Agency has provided emergency assistance to refugees in acute distress as a result of conflict, military operations, restrictions on the freedom of movement and prolonged economic hardship in the occupied Palestinian territory. This emergency assistance programme reaches more than 1.2 million refugees annually. UNRWA will continue to provide such services as necessary, as well as, on an exceptional basis, as mandated in General Assembly resolution 2252 (ES-V), services to non-refugees in serious need of immediate assistance.
25.6 Internal strengthening is an organizational priority established during the previous biennium. It includes a dedicated project management function, improved policy development and implementation and enhanced outreach capacity for the Commissioner-General of the Agency. UNRWA will continue its efforts to mainstream gender, both in programming and human resources management, and to develop further the Agency’s protection response in programming, operation and advocacy, thereby bringing UNRWA closer to fulfilling its obligations vis-à-vis the directives of the Secretary-General, international human rights law and the Beijing Platform for Action.
25.7 The Agency, which is largely dependent on voluntary funding to implement its programmes, has contended not only with chronic funding shortfalls, but also with more sudden, politically induced funding uncertainties. It will continue to maintain cost-conscious management, to carry out programme assessments as necessary and to maintain the operational flexibility required to respond to unforeseen disruptions to life and livelihood in Palestine refugee communities. In each subprogramme area, including general education and technical and vocational training, maternal and child health care and disease prevention, poverty eradication and microfinance, the Agency has sought to achieve programme results consistent with the targets and commitments established by the United Nations system, such as the internationally agreed development goals, including those contained in the United Nations Millennium Declaration and the outcomes of the major United Nations conferences and international agreements since 1992. UNRWA will continue, in its five areas of operation, to maintain its efforts to achieve this consistency during 2008-2009, including in the areas of educational services, health services, relief and social services and income-generating programmes, and will continue to undertake projects to improve infrastructure and socio-economic conditions.
25.8 The overall regular budget resources required for the biennium 2008-2009 under this section amount to $37,449,500 before recosting, which reflects a net increase of $718,200 (or 2.0 per cent at 2006-2007 rates). The resource growth shown in table 25.1 is due to the delayed impact of three new international posts approved by the General Assembly for the biennium 2006-2007 ($433,900) and two new posts proposed for 2008-2009 ($284,300) (see table 25.2).
25.9 During the biennium 2008-2009, the Agency projects that $1.2 billion in extrabudgetary resources will be required in large part as a result of its strategic plan, which will enable it to provide assistance to Palestine refugees, and the evolving operational environment in the occupied Palestinian territory.
25.10 Pursuant to General Assembly resolution 58/269, resources identified for the conduct of monitoring and evaluation activities would amount to $2,689,400, $578,500 of which will be funded from the regular budget and $2,110,900 from extrabudgetary resources.
Programme of Work
25.11 The programme of work has been formulated by drawing upon programme 21 of the biennial programme plan for the period 2008-2009.
Subprogramme
1. Education
External factors
25.12 Significant external factors that may affect the achievement of the expected accomplishments are:
- The absence of empirical information systems in the host authorities, as well as limited access to available information, resulting in difficulty in identifying labour market needs;
- Lack of availability of land to construct new schools or replace unsuitable rented ones;
- A worsening economic situation and increased unemployment leading to increased dropout and failure rates;
- Funding constraints resulting in difficulty in responding to unplanned curricular changes introduced by host authorities and restricted ability to improve the learning environment (e.g., double-shifting in schools, school maintenance, furniture and equipment).
Outputs
25.13 During the biennium 2008-2009, the following outputs will be delivered:
- Provision of general education to 490,000 eligible refugee children in 666 UNRWA elementary and preparatory schools (and secondary education in Lebanon);
- Provision of technical and vocational training to 6,000 students;
- Harmonization of all curricula for the Agency’s general and technical education programmes with those offered by the respective host authorities;
- Adaptation of all vocational training programme syllabi to reflect changing market demands;
- Construction or renovation of 730 educational facilities;
- Provision of pre-service teacher training to 1,400 potential teachers;
- Upgrading of teaching and training skills of 1,800 teachers, head teachers and other education staff;
- Provision of counselling and career guidance for Palestine refugee students to enable 2,500 graduates to secure jobs abroad.
Subprogramme 2
Health
External factors
25.14 Significant external factors that may affect the achievement of the expected accomplishments are:
- Sudden increases in the cost of services and supplies promulgated by the host authorities that result in unplanned/unforeseen expenditures;
- Funding shortfalls that limit the programme’s ability to cope with the increased burden of non-communicable diseases and addressing unmet primary health needs, such as child disabilities and psychosocial health;
- Crisis situations resulting in a deterioration in the health and nutritional status of the population;
- Shortage of resources for development projects that place limitations on improvement of the camp water and sanitation infrastructure.
Outputs
25.15 During the biennium 2008-2009, the following outputs will be delivered:
- Further development of the health information management system and the drug supply management system at the primary health-care facility level with links to field offices and Headquarters;
- Provision of information technology equipment for the implementation of the new system to cover all health centres in the five field offices;
- Provision of five in-service training courses for medical and nursing staff for the orientation of staff on the new management health information system;
- Provision to camps in Jordan and the West Bank of additional vehicles and containers for the mechanization of solid waste collection and disposal;
- Improved sewerage, drainage and water supply systems in refugee camps in Lebanon, the Syrian Arab Republic and the Gaza Strip;
- Full immunization of all registered children below 2 years of age for primary and booster vaccines and expansion of the tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS control programme;
- Provision of in-service training for more than 6,000 staff days each year for the various medical, nursing and support personnel in order to upgrade/increase their knowledge and skill on implementation of the technical guidelines and approved intervention strategies and postgraduate training opportunities in public health;
- Protection of 110,000 pregnant women and nursing mothers against malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies by providing them with food rations as early as possible after confirmation of pregnancy and for six months after delivery;
- Provision of antenatal care, screening for anaemia, iron and vitamin supplements and at least one post-natal visit within the first six weeks of delivery to 95,000 pregnant women;
- Provision of outpatient medical consultations to more than 1.9 million refugees, of which 300,000 will be consultations with specialists, at the 127 Agency clinics for the treatment of acute and chronic diseases;
- Streamlining of four multidisciplinary activities addressing gender equality, life-skills education, psychosocial support and child disabilities within UNRWA programmes on education, health and social services;
- Monitoring of 250,000 children under 3 years of age for growth and development and screening and treatment of anaemia;
- Treatment of 150,000 patients suffering from acute and other life-threatening conditions who cannot be managed at the primary health-care level, in contracted hospitals or through reimbursement schemes;
- Enhancement of partnerships for health with major stakeholders, including United Nations-specialized agencies, public health departments of host authorities, local and intergovernmental organizations and research institutions, to streamline strategies, align practical aspects of health policy and enhance programme analysis and evaluation capacity;
- Holding of negotiations and joint working committee meetings for the development of joint initiatives with host authorities;
- Monitoring, counselling and issuance of modern contraceptives to more than 110,000 family-planning clients;
- Screening for hypertension and/or diabetes mellitus for persons over 40 years of age at UNRWA health centres;
- Screening for breast cancer for women over 50 years of age and screening for cervical cancer for those between 35 and 45 years of age at UNRWA health centres;
- Examination and immunization against vaccine-preventable diseases for 50,000 school entrants and vaccination/screening of 200,000 school entrants for oral health problems and morbidity conditions, with special emphasis on disabilities that are manageable, such as low vision and hearing defects;
- Treatment for dental and periodontal problems for 700,000 refugees each year and screening for dental caries and other oral health problems for more than 250,000 children and pregnant women;
- Administration of 1 million doses of vitamin A supplements each year to 80,000 nursing mothers, 300,000 preschoolers and 300,000 schoolchildren and provision of iron supplements to more than 90,000 pregnant women and 240,000 children of 6-36 months of age;
- Preparation of detailed list of planned activities for improvement of health system performance through 10 brainstorming sessions of programme managers each biennium at headquarters and field offices and implementation of a tracking system to monitor activities;
- Monitoring of the quality of the water provided and other environmental factors to control the spread of communicable diseases.
Subprogramme 3
Relief and social services
External factors
25.16 Significant external factors that may affect the achievement of expected accomplishments are:
- International competition for donor funding and difficulty in attracting sustained funding of social safety net assistance programmes, which make it difficult to provide support to the growing number of families living under the poverty line;
- Increasing poverty and population growth rates which have heightened demand for relief and social services but for which donor funding has not increased proportionately.
Outputs
25.17 During the biennium 2008-2009, the following outputs will be delivered:
- Improvement and maintenance of updated records of the 4.8 million refugees in the region, including training on eligibility and registration activity;
- Provision of certified training in generalist social work approaches and methodologies to relief and social workers in the field;
- Provision of credit through community-based organizations to disadvantaged refugees;
- Provision of credit to women through group guaranteed and individual lending schemes;
- Provision of rehabilitation services to persons with disabilities;
- Provision of special hardship assistance to needy individuals using a generalist social work approach and a poverty-based policy orientation;
- Provision of targeted support for civic, recreational and sports activities for refugee children and youths, including those with disabilities;
- Provision of technical assistance to 105 community-based organizations on key issues, such as community development concepts, development of annual workplans and services, budgeting and financial management and fund-raising, management and networking skills.
Subprogramme 4
Microfinance and microenterprise
External factors
25.18 Significant external factors that may affect the achievement of expected accomplishments are:
- Continued deterioration of the economic situation in the occupied Palestinian territory affecting programme performance and resulting in stagnated growth and a decline in credit outreach and cost recovery;
- Policy initiatives by host governments towards Palestinian workers and businesses’ access to trade and labour markets;
- A significant inflow of additional grant and loan capital, allowing the programme to build its network of branch offices in its area of operations, increasing its combined outstanding loan portfolio to $25 million by the end of the period and enabling the programme to achieve its targets.
Outputs
25.19 During the biennium 2008-2009, the following outputs will be delivered:
- Disbursement of 1,200 small-scale enterprise loans valued at $14.5 million;
- Disbursement of 103,120 business loans valued at $103.82 million in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, Jordan and the Syrian Arab Republic through the small-scale enterprise credit and microenterprise credit programmes;
- Disbursement of 2,300 housing loans valued at $11.88 million in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, Jordan and the Syrian Arab Republic;
- Disbursement of 38,400 consumer loans valued at $23 million in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, Jordan and the Syrian Arab Republic;
- Provision of business training courses in the Gaza Strip to support small businesses and encourage entrepreneurship.
25.20 The amount of $37,449,500 provides for international posts, general temporary assistance and resources for centrally provided data-processing infrastructure services and support costs. The increase of $718,200 in resources is due to increased requirements arising from the delayed impact of three new Professional posts (2 P-4, 1 P-3) approved by the General Assembly for the biennium 2006-2007 ($433,900) and the cost of two new posts (1 P-4 and 1 P-3) proposed for 2008-2009 ($284,300).
25.21 The Agency is currently undertaking an initiative to streamline the operations in its field offices, with an emphasis on project planning and implementation, project proposal preparation and reporting. The Gaza field office is under the most stress in terms of meeting the urgent needs of refugees. Accordingly, a P-4 Field Programme and Support Officer is proposed to improve the management capabilities at the field level. Furthermore, UNRWA is undertaking an Agency-wide initiative to bring efficiencies to its organizational processes and field operations by enhancing human resources management, establishing accountability frameworks and providing management training. In this connection, the proposed Monitoring and Evaluation Officer post at the P-3 level is required to improve and further develop the Agency’s ability to fully realize the undertaking and use of evaluations, analyse and generate knowledge regarding which policies, programmes and activities work and do not work and learn and adapt accordingly.
Download Document Files: https://unispal.un.org/pdfs/a626sect25.pdf
Document Type: Budget, Report
Document Sources: General Assembly, United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)
Subject: Refugee camps, Refugees and displaced persons
Publication Date: 15/03/2007