UNRWA Strategic Plan 2023-28

Full Strategic Plan

Executive Summary

1. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA or “the Agency”) was established in 1949 as a subsidiary organ of the United Nations (UN) to assist and protect Palestine refugees in the Gaza Strip, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem. The UN General Assembly (UN GA) has repeatedly renewed UNRWA’s mandate, most recently in December 2022, acknowledging in the process that, given the continuing needs of Palestine refugees and pending a just and lasting solution to the plight of the Palestinian people, the functioning of UNRWA remains essential.

2. The Agency’s mission is to help Palestine refugees achieve their full potential in human development under the difficult circumstances in which they live. UNRWA works towards the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for Palestine refugees. Its programmes foster human capital and nurture peaceful development, consistent with UN principles and values, supporting the stability of a region buffeted by crisis and facing multiple complex and overlapping development challenges.

3. This Strategic Plan, which covers the period 2023–28, articulates UNRWA’s ambition to deliver services that address the evolving human development and protection needs of Palestine refugees. It provides the principles and priorities that will guide the Agency’s work over this period, as part of a drive to modernize operations and management practices and broaden opportunities for Palestine refugees. The plan captures lessons learned from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and major programmatic and management reforms of recent years, as well as internal reflection and recommendations from external evaluations. It incorporates ongoing exploration of opportunities for innovation across programmes and operations, and for new models of resource mobilization.

4. In discharging its mandate, UNRWA will continue to abide by and uphold UN principles and values, in accordance with international law, including international humanitarian law (IHL) and international human rights law. The Agency will also continue to prioritize measures that foster greater trust and respectful relationships in the workplace. Collectively, this will make UNRWA more inclusive, transparent and accountable.

5. Digitalization is key to UNRWA’s modernization, supporting improved quality of programmes through enhanced integration, increased efficiency and greater Palestine refugee access to services and information, including in times of crisis. The further digitalization of key human resources, financial and procurement processes will promote greater accountability and transparency. Digitalization also offers new avenues for skills enhancement and employment; failure to equip Palestine refugees to benefit from both would further marginalize an already vulnerable population and undermine their economic potential.

6. To deliver on the objectives in the Strategic Plan, UNRWA will implement an ambitious approach to fundraising. In the coming years, the Agency aims to maximize resources by broadening the donor base, harnessing the potential of digital, Islamic philanthropic, thematic and individual giving and expanding the number of national committees. Fundraising and outreach plans for the first half of the strategic period will be reflected in the forthcoming Resource Mobilization and Outreach Strategy 2023–25.

7. In consultation with Palestine refugee communities, host authorities and international partners, UNRWA has identified seven objectives for the period 2023-28.

8. First, the Agency will ensure that Palestine refugees are protected through the realization of their rights under international law. This will be achieved through a number of complementary approaches, namely: providing services in a safe and dignified manner; meeting the protection needs of vulnerable and at-risk Palestine refugees through preventative and remedial action; and engaging duty bearers to respect, protect and fulfil the rights of Palestine refugees. In addition, UNRWA will make its programmes more gender sensitive so that the services it provides are equitable, ensuring that all Palestine refugees – women, men, girls and boys – can fulfil their needs and enjoy their rights.

9. Second, the Agency will continue to provide Palestine refugees with universal, non-discriminatory access to quality primary health services and targeted access to secondary and tertiary care. UNRWA will address maternal health needs through pre-conception, antenatal and post-natal care and family planning services. The Agency will also remain focussed on the provision of vaccination, growth monitoring and nutrition and high quality child healthcare services. Further, surveillance and cost effective health promotion, prevention and response interventions will: (i) address the growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCD); (ii) promote mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS); and (iii) manage communicable diseases and infection control. In addition, access to quality health care will be improved through maintaining the supply of essential medicines, ensuring appropriate staffing levels in all health centres and providing hospitalization services for those most in need.

10. Third, UNRWA will continue to offer quality, inclusive and equitable education to Palestine refugees, strengthening student learning and wellbeing. The COVID-19 pandemic caused major disruption to school systems around the world, including at UNRWA. Monitoring of student performance in Agency schools points to significant learning losses in all fields; tackling this is one of the major challenges facing the UNRWA education system in the coming years. The Agency will also ensure that its systems and structures are resilient in the face of potential shocks and crises, guided by its approach to Education in Emergencies (EiE)(1).
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11. Learning outcomes and critical thinking skills will be enhanced through technology, including media and information literacy (MIL) for teachers and students. UNRWA will further embed a culture of peace through the continued implementation of human rights, conflict resolution and tolerance (HRCRT) programming and school parliaments. Throughout, student wellbeing will be promoted through the continued provision of psychosocial support (PSS) and efforts to address violence in schools. The Agency will also seek additional resources to reduce the number of schools operating on a double-shift basis, absorb pupil increases and improve school infrastructure. This will help improve quality, equity and inclusion, creating an environment which is conducive to learning and accessible to all, including students with disabilities.

12. Fourth, the Agency will strengthen the livelihood capacities of Palestine refugees to pursue income generation and work opportunities. UNRWA will improve the relevance of its technical and vocational education and training (TVET) to labour market needs and develop more market-relevant curricula. Microfinance loan products will promote livelihood opportunities while Palestine refugees involved in camp improvement interventions will benefit from skills development in negotiation, communications, project planning and conflict resolution. UNRWA will also improve income generation and work opportunities through the creation of jobs linked to Agency construction and shelter rehabilitation works. Advocacy with host authorities and other economic actors will be stepped up to promote Palestine refugee access to employment and their right to work.

13. Fifth, UNRWA will alleviate poverty amongst the most vulnerable Palestine refugees, especially in fields of 6 strategic plan 2023-28 operation affected by humanitarian crises. The Agency will complete several reform tracks initiated during the Medium Term Strategy (MTS) 2016-22, including: (i) the identification and refinement of vulnerability criteria used to target cash assistance; (ii) better alignment between UNRWA emergency and social safety net programme (SSNP) interventions; (iii) exploring opportunities to align Agency assistance with the social protection programmes of host authorities and other UN entities; (iv) better alignment of UNRWA cash assistance to household expenditure needs; and (v) alignment of all cash and food beneficiary distribution lists with the Agency registration system, and the introduction of a compliance framework and a beneficiary eligibility review process. In addition, UNRWA will expand access to TVET for the most vulnerable, especially those enrolled in the SSNP, helping them gain skills to generate an income, become self-reliant and break the cycle of poverty.

14. Sixth, the Agency will ensure that Palestine refugees are able to meet their basic human needs of shelter, water and sanitation. Shelter assistance will target the most vulnerable to ensure that all are able to live in conditions that meet minimum acceptable safety and health standards. UNRWA will also prioritize interventions addressing water supply and distribution networks and sewage and water drainage systems in camps that suffer from inadequate infrastructure. Working in partnership with Palestine refugees, the Agency will continue to integrate protection and environmental sustainability measures across the design, construction and maintenance of facilities and camp improvement works.

15. UNRWA will implement its mandate in an effective and responsible manner. This will involve working towards a predictable, sustainable and diversified funding base, effectively managing security risks and strengthening enterprise risk management. In addition, human resources and procurement systems, structures and processes will be reinforced, a renewed focus will be placed on staff wellbeing, alternative dispute resolution will be promoted through the Office of the Ombudsman and the Secretary-General’s system-wide Strategy on Gender Parity will be advanced. Independent audit, evaluation and investigation functions will enhance accountability, integrity, transparency and learning. Accountability to affected populations (AAP) will form a cornerstone of quality service provision to ensure the meaningful participation of Palestine refugees at different stages of the programme management cycle. UNRWA will also continue to take robust action against breaches of UN standards of conduct, values and humanitarian principles.

16. Key thematic imperatives are reflected across multiple objectives in this Strategic Plan. The Agency is committed to ensuring that its systems, structures, processes and programmes are gender-sensitive and meet the needs of persons with disabilities. Throughout the strategic period, UNRWA will also marshal the strength of its programmes to advance environmental sustainability, establishing approaches and mechanisms to identify, internalize and mainstream environmental best practice in and through Agency service delivery. Finally, the Agency will pay particular attention to the specific and growing needs of youth and adolescents across its programmes.

17. Collaborating across a reinvigorated UN system and beyond for stronger collective results, the Strategic Plan 2023-28 supports transformative change aimed at the achievement of the SDGs. The plan contributes to the achievement of all 17 goals, but directly contributes to: Goal 1 (no poverty); Goal 2 (zero hunger); Goal 3 (good health and wellbeing); Goal 4 (quality education); Goal 5 (gender equality); Goal 6 (clean water and sanitation); Goal 7 (affordable and clean energy); Goal 8 (decent work and economic growth); Goal 10 (reduced inequalities); Goal 11 (sustainable cities and communities); Goal 13 (climate action); Goal 16 (peace, justice and strong institutions); and Goal 17 (partnerships for the goals).

18. To complement this Strategic Plan, UNRWA has issued a Capital Investment Plan(2) that sets out a series of one-time investments needed to restore depleted assets and modernize programmes and operations, in particular in the areas of digitalization, environmental sustainability and fundraising and public outreach. A Resource Mobilization and Outreach Strategy, currently being finalized, will mobilize the necessary support to deliver on the objectives and priorities in this Strategic Plan.

Endnotes
1 What We Do | UNRWA – education in emergencies.
2 UNRWA Capital Investment Plan. UNRWA. (2022). https://www.unrwa.org/resources/strategy-policy/unrwa-capital-investment-plan