US announces $20 million donation to UNRWA’ emergency appeal and signs cooperation agreement – UNRWA press release

United States Announces $20m Donation to

UNRWA’s Emergency Appeal and Signs Cooperation Agreement

Amman – The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has marked a new stage in its relations with the United States of America at a two-day meeting of its major donors and host authorities in Jordan.

At the meeting, the United States representative announced a donation of US$20 million to UNRWA’s Emergency Appeal for the West Bank and Gaza to support food aid programmes in particular.

UNRWA launched its US$185.8 million appeal, the eighth since the start of the conflict in September 2000, in December 2004. Under the appeal the Agency provides food assistance, job creation programmes and shelter for refugees impoverished and made homeless by the conflict and closures in the occupied Palestinian territory. Funding for the 2005 appeal now stands at US$80 million.

This latest pledge brings the US’s contribution to UNRWA’s Emergency Appeals to US$172.3 million since the start of the strife. The US, which has always been UNRWA’s largest donor, has also contributed US$88.8 million for UNRWA’s regular activities during 2005.

To help strengthen UNRWA’s relationship with the US, Karen Koning AbuZayd, the Agency’s Acting Commissioner-General, today signed a Framework for Cooperation Agreement with Richard L. Greene, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees and Migration.

Under the new agreement, UNRWA made a number of commitments in the areas of human rights education, poverty alleviation, emergency food assistance and monitoring and evaluation of its programmes. UNRWA also re-stated its compliance with the US Foreign Assistance Act of 1961.

The US committed itself in the agreement to striving to provide 22-25 per cent of the funding for UNRWA’s regular budget and confirmed its ongoing support for the Agency and the Palestine refugees until a peace settlement is reached and UNRWA’s mandate ends.

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