{"id":236465,"date":"2020-06-23T15:49:34","date_gmt":"2020-06-23T19:49:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/?post_type=document&p=236465"},"modified":"2020-06-24T09:21:31","modified_gmt":"2020-06-24T13:21:31","slug":"secretary-generals-remarks-to-the-extraordinary-virtual-ministerial-pledging-conference-a-strong-unrwa-in-a-challenging-world-mobilizing-collective-action","status":"publish","type":"document","link":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/document\/secretary-generals-remarks-to-the-extraordinary-virtual-ministerial-pledging-conference-a-strong-unrwa-in-a-challenging-world-mobilizing-collective-action\/","title":{"rendered":"As Palestine Refugee Agency Battles COVID-19, Secretary\u2011General Urges Donors to Bolster Funding for Critical Front-Line Workers, Emergency Programmes, at Pledging Conference – Remarks (SG\/SM\/20139)"},"content":{"rendered":"
SG\/SM\/20139
\n<\/strong>23 JUNE 2020<\/span><\/strong>
\n<\/strong><\/div>\n

Following are UN Secretary-General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres\u2019 remarks to the extraordinary virtual ministerial pledging conference \u201cA strong United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East\u00a0(UNRWA) in a challenging world \u2014 mobilizing collective action\u201d, in New York today:<\/p>\n

Let me begin by thanking our organizers, Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi of Jordan, and Minister for International Development Cooperation of Sweden, Peter Eriksson.\u00a0 I also want to thank United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East\u2019s new Commissioner-General, Philippe Lazzarini.<\/p>\n

We are here together to mobilize political and financial support for the vital work of UNRWA.\u00a0 The Agency is not only a lifeline for millions of Palestine refugees, but also critical for regional stability.<\/p>\n

I want to thank you for the difference you are already making.\u00a0 Your contributions are helping to ensure: \u00a0education for more than half a million students; primary health care, with more than 8\u00a0million visits to UNRWA health facilities each year; food and cash assistance for about 1.8\u00a0million vulnerable Palestine refugees in Gaza; and microfinance opportunities for Palestine refugees to generate income.<\/p>\n

Your support also enables UNRWA to safeguard and advance the rights of Palestine refugees under international law, including gender equality, child protection and the rights of persons with disabilities.\u00a0 I have met with UNRWA students from Jordan and the Occupied Palestinian Territory.\u00a0 They have shared moving testimony of the difference your support is making in improving their lives and expanding their horizons of hope.<\/p>\n

Every day, UNRWA is contributing to human development and stability in an increasingly volatile and challenging context.\u00a0 And now, of course, there is a new test.\u00a0 In recent weeks, and in close coordination with host authorities, UNRWA has responded to prevent the spread of COVID-19 among Palestine refugee communities, many of whom live in some of the highest-density conditions on earth.<\/p>\n

We have seen extraordinary resourcefulness in adapting quickly to these unprecedented circumstances.\u00a0 For example, UNRWA health and sanitation workers have continued to provide front-line support and the Agency has stepped up telemedicine efforts, expanded much-needed cash assistance, and extended emergency education to more than 500,000\u00a0girls and boys.<\/p>\n

I fully understand the challenging financial circumstances faced on many fronts.\u00a0 But, it is precisely in difficult times, when our resolve is tested, that we must work even closer together.<\/p>\n

For more than 70\u00a0years, UNRWA has provided crucial assistance to Palestine refugees.\u00a0 We share a collective responsibility to them until the realization of a just and viable political solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.<\/p>\n

Looking ahead, we must continue in the effort to make UNRWA funding sustainable, predictable and sufficient. \u00a0This means addressing the chronic funding shortfalls and persistent cash\u2011flow crises through commitments, not only for one year, but years to come.<\/p>\n

This predictability is necessary for UNRWA to carry out its activities in line with its mandate, which was extended with overwhelming support by Member States last year \u2014 and to help fulfil the central promise of the 2030\u00a0Agenda to leave no one behind.<\/p>\n

Together, let us reaffirm our solidarity with Palestine refugees \u2014 recognizing their enormous vulnerability \u2014 by increasing contributions to UNRWA and translating the political support for its mandate into sufficient, predictable and sustainable funding.<\/p>\n

For information media. Not an official record.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

SG\/SM\/20139 23 JUNE 2020 Following are UN Secretary-General Ant\u00f3nio Guterres\u2019 remarks to the extraordinary virtual ministerial pledging conference \u201cA strong United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East\u00a0(UNRWA) in a challenging world \u2014 mobilizing collective action\u201d, in New York today: Let me begin by thanking our organizers, Foreign Minister Ayman […]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":172,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"template":"template-page.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"country":[909,1149],"document-category":[2637,1338],"document-source":[5352,1817],"committee-meeting":[],"document-subject":[1945,1745],"entity":[1729],"document-language":[6542],"class_list":["post-236465","document","type-document","status-publish","hentry","country-jordan","country-sweden","document-category-remarks","document-category-statement","document-source-secretary-general","document-source-united-nations-relief-and-works-agency-for-palestine-refugees-in-the-near-east-unrwa","document-subject-assistance","document-subject-refugees-and-displaced-persons","entity-united-nations-system","document-language-english"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/236465","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/document"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/172"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/236465\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=236465"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"country","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country?post=236465"},{"taxonomy":"document-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-category?post=236465"},{"taxonomy":"document-source","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-source?post=236465"},{"taxonomy":"committee-meeting","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/committee-meeting?post=236465"},{"taxonomy":"document-subject","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-subject?post=236465"},{"taxonomy":"entity","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/entity?post=236465"},{"taxonomy":"document-language","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-language?post=236465"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}