UNRWA COMMISSIONER-GENERAL ACCOMPANIED BY CHILDREN FROM GAZA
MEETS PRIME MINISTER OF JAPAN
04 November 2015
In Tokyo today, UNRWA Commissioner-General Pierre Krähenbühl was received by H.E. Shinzo Abe, the Prime Minister of Japan. This meeting, a first in the Agency's history, was an opportunity to express profound gratitude for Japan's long-standing and generous support to Palestine refugees and to the Agency's human development activities.
Prime Minister Abe and Mr. Krähenbühl exchanged views on the growing instability in the Middle East, the risks of further radicalization and the refugee crisis provoked by the Syria conflict. In this context, the Commissioner-General emphasized that: "The world must not forget the fate and plight of Palestine refugees in the midst of the spreading regional turmoil. Japan's support to UNRWA is ensuring a vital measure of dignity and stability for a community facing despair and growing hopelessness."
The Commissioner-General expressed confidence that the Agency's cooperation with Japan will remain dynamic and strong, based on a common determination to provide meaningful services to Palestine refugees and to advocate for the respect of their rights.
Mr. Krähenbühl was accompanied by three students from Gaza, who a day earlier had taken part in a kite-flying event in Kamaishi, on Japan's north-eastern coast, in an act of solidarity with victims of the 2011 tsunami. Thirteen-year-old Rawan addressed a message to Prime Minister Abe: "We have been inspired by the courage of the survivors of the tsunami and we came to convey a message of strength and solidarity from Gaza. We need hope and dignity more than anything else."
During his three-day visit to Japan, Mr. Krähenbühl also met with senior officials in the Prime Minister's cabinet, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Finance, as well members of the Parliament.
Following a first contribution by Japan in 1953, the partnership between UNRWA and Japan has grown significantly since, with Japanese contributions to the Agency reaching a record US$ 39.2 million in 2015. This allowed UNRWA to improve and expand its health services, carry out essential construction projects in Gaza, and provide food and other emergency activities in the Agency's five field of operations.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions, and financial support has not kept pace with an increased demand for services caused by growing numbers of registered refugees, deepening poverty and conflict. As a result, the UNRWA General Fund, which supports core essential services and most staffing costs, operates with a large deficit. UNRWA emergency programmes and key projects, also operating with large deficits, are funded through separate funding portals.
UNRWA is a United Nations agency established by the General Assembly in 1949 and mandated to provide assistance and protection to some 5 million registered Palestine refugees. Its mission is to help Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, West Bank and the Gaza Strip achieve their full human development potential, pending a just solution to their plight. UNRWA services encompass education, health care, relief and social services, camp infrastructure and improvement, and microfinance.
For more information, please contact:
Christopher Gunness
Spokesperson, Director of Advocacy & Strategic Communications
Mobile:
+972 (0)54 240 2659
Office:
+972 (0)2 589 0267
Sami Mshasha
Chief of Communications, Arabic Language Spokesperson
Mobile:
+972 (0)54 216 8295
Office:
+972 (0)2 589 0724
Document Sources: United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)
Country: Japan
Subject: Assistance, Children, Gaza Strip, Middle East situation
Publication Date: 04/11/2015