Sweden contributed US$ 49.4 million to UNRWA human development and humanitarian assistance for 2020, as part of two multi-year agreements with the Agency. US$ 45.3 million (SEK 423 million) will support the Agency’s core human development services of health, relief, and protection, as well as education for half a million children in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. An additional US$ 4.1 million will support UNRWA emergency operations in Syria (US$ 1.5 million) and the occupied Palestinian territory (US$ 2.6 million).
Sweden’s oPt appeal contribution will help UNRWA address the humanitarian needs of Palestine refugees in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, through interventions such as emergency food assistance, emergency health, and cash-for-work, as well as the promotion and protection of the rights of refugees. In Syria – and for Palestine refugees from Syria in Lebanon and Jordan – Sweden’s generous financial support will be used to provide, in particular, cash assistance and emergency education to refugees in dire need of aid.
“In the increasingly challenging environment that Palestine refugees across the region live in, it is paramount that UNRWA continue to deliver critical human development and humanitarian aid to those who need it the most. We are deeply grateful to Sweden for its steadfast support throughout the decades and the predictability of its funding thanks to multi-year agreements for both core and emergency operations. I am particularly thankful to Sweden for disbursing this generous funding at the beginning of 2020, at a time when funds are usually lacking. In view of the Agency’s financial situation, this large contribution made early in the year sends an important message to the international community,” said Marc Lassouaoui, Chief of UNRWA Donor Relations Division.
Sweden is the fourth-largest donor to UNRWA. Beyond this, Sweden has always been a strong political advocate for UNRWA, as exemplified by its co-chairing of ministerial-level meetings on UNRWA.
UNRWA is confronted with an increased demand for services resulting from a growth in the number of registered Palestine refugees, the extent of their vulnerability and their deepening poverty. UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions and financial support has been outpaced by the growth in needs. As a result, the UNRWA programme budget, which supports the delivery of core essential services, operates with a large shortfall. UNRWA encourages all Member States to work collectively to exert all possible efforts to fully fund the Agency’s programme budget. UNRWA emergency programmes and key projects, also operating with large shortfalls, 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 5.4 million Palestine refugees registered with UNRWA across its five fields of operation. Its mission is to help Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, West Bank, including East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip achieve their full human development potential, pending a just and lasting solution to their plight. UNRWA services encompass education, health care, relief and social services, camp infrastructure and improvement, protection and microfinance.
Document Sources: United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)
Country: Sweden
Subject: Assistance, Children, Education and culture, Health, Refugees and displaced persons
Publication Date: 06/03/2020
URL source: https://www.unrwa.org/newsroom/press-releases/sweden-contributes-us-494-million-unrwa