REGIONAL GOVERNMENT OF ARAGÓN, SPAIN, SUPPORTS FAMILIES AFFECTED BY THE EMERGENCY IN SYRIA
09 November 2014
The regional government of Aragón, Spain, has donated EUR 40,000 (US$ 54,700) to help UNRWA provide hygiene kits to the most vulnerable Palestine refugees, including displaced children, women and elderly persons. Non-food items such as the hygiene kits provide important support to the health of the Palestine refugee community.
As UNRWA works to assist Palestine refugees from Syria, including those who have been displaced from their homes, donors such as the Government of Aragón have been important partners in providing relief.
The ongoing conflict has presented unprecedented challenges to the Agency and the approximately 540,000 Palestine refugees registered with UNRWA in Syria, of whom some 440,000 are in need of assistance. As a result of hostilities, more than half of the Palestine refugee community in Syria has been displaced, with an additional 70,000 refugees fleeing to neighbouring countries, particularly Lebanon and Jordan.
To find out more about the Syria crisis click here.
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, and microfinance.
Financial support to UNRWA has not kept pace with an increased demand for services caused by growing numbers of registered refugees, expanding need, and deepening poverty. As a result, the Agency's General Fund (GF), supporting UNRWA’s core activities and 97 per cent reliant on voluntary contributions, has begun each year with a large projected deficit. Currently the deficit stands at US$ 56 million.
For more information, please contact:
Christopher Gunness
UNRWA Spokesperson
Mobile:
+972 (0)54 240 2659
Office:
+972 (0)2 589 0267
Sami Mshasha
UNRWA Arabic 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: Spain, Syria
Subject: Armed conflict, Assistance, Humanitarian relief, Living conditions, Middle East situation, Population, Protection, Refugee camps, Refugees and displaced persons, Security issues
Publication Date: 09/11/2014