Statement by UNRWA Commissioner-General at the Brussels IV Conference on Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region

Nearly 10 years into the conflict in Syria, some 440,000 Palestine refugees remain in the country.

They are, according to the UN, among the most vulnerable groups inside the country. The harrowing images of the destruction of camps, among them the famous Yarmouk camp, still haunt all those who have lost their homes and livelihoods. More than 90% of Palestine refugee households in Syria live in absolute poverty.

Nearly 45,000 have fled to Lebanon or Jordan.

Yet, too often, Palestine refugees continue to be missing from the narrative of the Syria crisis.

And now COVID-19 is fueling a pandemic of abject poverty among Palestine refugees. Despair and hopelessness are growing.

Palestine refugees rely on UNRWA for cash assistance to cover their basic needs. They send their children to our schools. They use our health clinics. They acquire skills at our vocational training centres.

But this has come at a high cost in Syria. 19 UNRWA staff have been killed and 27 are missing or presumed detained.  40 per cent of our schools and 25 per cent of our clinics are unusable.

Despite these human tragedies and setbacks, we cannot fail the Palestine refugees.

Like the Host countries, UNRWA is struggling to sustain critical services, and this is due to lack of funding at a time when needs are growing.

So today I call on the international humanitarian community to acknowledge the plight of Palestine refugees from Syria and provide the necessary funding for UNRWA to meet their needs. This requires a fully funded programme budget. Without this, our humanitarian operations are at risk.

For Palestine refugees, UNRWA is more than a relief Agency.

It is a source of hope.