Germany donates an additional €2 million for Gaza emergency food aid – UNRWA press release

Germany donates an additional EUR 2m for Gaza emergency food aid

3 August 2012
Gaza

The German government has made an additional donation of EUR 2 million to help feed 667,500 food-insecure and vulnerable Palestine refugees living in Gaza. The funds are in support of UNRWA’s 2012 Emergency Appeal, which aims to mitigate the effects on refugees of the deteriorating political, socio-economic, and security situation in Gaza as well as the West Bank. This contribution brings Germany’s total support for the Appeal in 2012 up to EUR 5.5 million.

Germany has already donated EUR 500,000 towards emergency food aid this year, in addition to EUR 3 million towards school feeding in the Strip.

“On behalf of the hundreds of thousands of food-insecure Palestine refugees living in the Gaza Strip who will benefit from this latest contribution, we are extremely grateful for the support provided by the people of Germany at this critical time”, said UNRWA Commissioner-General Filippo Grandi. “For the third time this year, Germany has stepped in to deliver essential aid to those who need it most, demonstrating a solid commitment to basic humanitarian principles.”

“Germany is doing everything it can to prevent further deterioration in the level of food insecurity in Gaza,” affirmed German Head of Mission Goetz Lingenthal. “This substantial German contribution demonstrates the continued commitment of Germany to ease the humanitarian situation of Palestine refugees who are most in need.”

The German contribution helps to fill a widening gap between the growing budgetary requirements to meet humanitarian needs Gaza, and the steadily decreasing funds available for UNRWA emergency programmes.

This year’s emergency contribution comes in addition to Germany’s support of UNRWA’s main programmes: education, health care, relief and social services, infrastructure and camp improvement, and microfinance.

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Background information:

UNRWA is a United Nations agency established by the General Assembly in 1949 and is mandated to provide assistance and protection to a population of some 5 million registered Palestine refugees. Its mission is to help Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, West Bank and the Gaza Strip to achieve their full potential in human development, pending a just solution to their plight.

UNRWA’s services encompass education, health care, relief and social services, camp infrastructure and improvement, microfinance and emergency assistance. UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions.

For more information, please contact:

Christopher Gunness
UNRWA Spokesperson
Mobile: +972 (0)54 240 2659
Office: +972 (0)2 589 0267
c.gunness@unrwa.org

Adnan Abu Hasna
Communications Division
UNRWA Media Advisor
Mobile: 009708-2887531
Office: 00970599-428061
a.abu-hasna@unrwa.org