press release
Federal Foreign Office to provide two million euros for
UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA)
date of issue
07.10.2014
On 6 October Federal Foreign Minister Steinmeier met the Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), Pierre Krähenbühl, who has come to Berlin for a several-day visit.
Foreign Minister Steinmeier thanked UNRWA Commissioner-General Krähenbühl for the UN Relief Agency’s hard work, most recently in the Gaza conflict, and announced his intention to provide UNRWA with additional funding to the tune of two million euros for humanitarian operations. The Federal Foreign Office has thus made available 22.4 million euros for the important work of UNRWA since the beginning of the year.
Commenting on this, Foreign Minister Steinmeier stated:
"Anyone who has seen the most recent images from Gaza knows how urgently the people there need help. A lack of prospects can be the spark that re-ignites a conflict believed to have died down. That is why our primary goal must now be to relieve the people’s suffering and permanently improve living conditions in Gaza. That is the focus of the conference on Gaza’s reconstruction, which will be held in Cairo on Sunday.
Yet material support from the international community is not in itself sufficient. If reconstruction is to be successful and a lasting solution to the conflict found, we need a reliable Palestinian partner in Gaza. That can only be the Palestinian Authority."
Document Sources: United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)
Country: Germany
Subject: Armed conflict, Assistance, Gaza Strip, Humanitarian relief, International presence, Living conditions, Population, Poverty
Publication Date: 07/10/2014