Palestine Refugees/ Ration distribution – SecGen report

UNITED NATIONS RELIEF AND WORKS AGENCY

FOR PALESTINE REFUGEES IN THE NEAR EAST

Resumption of 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 44/47 F of 8 December 1989, in which the Assembly expressed regret that its resolutions 37/120 F, 38/83 F, 39/99 F, 40/165 F, 42/69 F and 43/57 F have not been implemented; called 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 urged non-contributing Governments to contribute regularly and contributing Governments to consider increasing their regular contributions; requested 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; and requested the Secretary-General, in consultation with the Commissioner-General, to report to the General Assembly at its forty-fifth session on the implementation of the present resolution.

2. The Agency has continued to distribute rations to the most needy sector of the refugee population, special hardship cases, who numbered 146,271 persons in December 1989.

3. In Lebanon two emergency distributions, including commodities such as flour, sugar, skim milk and corned beef, were made in 1989 to about 203,000 refugees.  In the Gaza Strip and West Bank approximately 20,000 tons of food commodities were distributed to needy families in 1989.  The Agency expects to take measures to distribute food in all three areas as long as the emergency need remains and supplies are available.

4. Given the lack of additional resources, it has not been possible for the Commissioner-General to consider resumption of general distribution of basic food rations to all refugees.

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*A/45/150 and Corr.1