UNRWA COMMISSIONER-GENERAL PRAISES ‘REMARKABLE’ GERMAN GENEROSITY DURING OFFICIAL TRIP TO BERLIN
22 May 2015
UNRWA Commissioner-General Pierre Krähenbühl has praised the remarkable support from Germany for Palestine refugees – particularly refugees in Gaza – during an official trip to Berlin this week.
Germany is the second-largest supporter of the UNRWA response to the humanitarian crisis resulting from the 2014 conflict in Gaza, with a total contribution of EUR 80 million (US$ 93 million) to UNRWA programmes in Gaza to date. This support allowed UNRWA to initiate its emergency shelter assistance programme and to support the most vulnerable.
“The generosity of spirit shown by the government and people of Germany has been remarkable,” Mr. Krähenbühl said. “Germany has set a particularly strong example in its support for Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of people are still living amongst destruction and in misery. Yet, so much more needs to be done. I welcome the opportunity to further build the UNRWA-Germany partnership in support of the most vulnerable Palestine refugees in Gaza, Syria and beyond.”
In Berlin, Mr. Krähenbühl met with Germany’s Federal Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, the Parliamentary State Secretary at the Federal Foreign Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, Federal Chancellery and Foreign Ministry senior officials and Members of Parliament, including the Committee on Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs, as well as the Sub-Committee for the United Nations and Budget Committee members.
In 2014, Germany was the fifth-largest UNRWA donor in overall terms, with a total contribution of US$ 79 million.
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 more than US$ 106 million.
For more information, please contact:
Christopher Gunness
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Sami Mshasha
Chief of Communications & Arabic Language Spokesperson
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Office:
+972 (0)2 589 0724
Document Sources: United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)
Country: Germany
Subject: Assistance, Gaza Strip
Publication Date: 22/05/2015