Palestine Refugees/ Ration distribution – SecGen report

UNITED NATIONS RELIEF AND WORKS AGENCY FOR

PALESTINE REFUGEES IN THE NEAR EAST

Resumption of the ration distribution to Palestine refugees

Report of the Secretary-General

1. The present report is submitted to the General Assembly in pursuance of its resolution 40/165 F of 16 December 1985, the operative paragraphs of which read as follows:

"The General Assembly,

"…

"1. Regrets that its resolutions 37/120 F, 38/83 P and 39/99 F have not been implemented;

"2. Calls once again upon all Governments, as a matter of urgency, to make the most generous efforts possible and to offer the necessary resources to meet the needs of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, particularly in the light of the interruption by the Agency of the general ration distribution to Palestine refugees in all fields, and therefore urges non-contributing Governments to contribute regularly and contributing Governments to consider increasing their regular contributions;

"3. Requests the Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East to resume on a continuing basis the interrupted general ration distribution to Palestine refugees in all fields;

"4. Requests the Secretary-General, in consultation with the Commissioner-General, to report to the General Assembly at its forty-first session on the implementation of the present resolution."

2. The response to the General Assembly's appeal contained in paragraph 2 of the resolution has not been forthcoming.  The annual cost of reinstating the basic ration for 1,606,000 eligible refugees would be $66,700,000, which includes $6,100,000 in cash.  Since the required additional resources were not made available to UNRWA in 1986, the Agency has had to use the available income to maintain its education, health and welfare programmes at last year's level.

3. Given this lack of additional resources, it has not been possible for the Commissioner-General to consider resumption of the general distribution of basic food rations as requested in paragraph 3 of the resolution.

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*  A/41/150.