Kuwait a generous, trusted partner, says UNRWA chief
500,000 Palestinian students to benefit
BRUSSELS, June 7, (KUNA): The Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) Pierre Krahenbuhl will visit Kuwait and other Gulf countries later this week to inform them about the agency’s current financial situation and discuss future support.
“They (Gulf countries) have been very strongly on our side in our core activities and on supporting our Syria operations in recent years. We are very grateful for that. Kuwait is a generous and trusted partner,” he told Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) in an interview in Brussels Wednesday.
He noted that UNRWA this year would spend $715 million on its core activities, which cover education for
The Commissioner-General of the UNRWA for Palestine refugees in
Near East Pierre Krahenbuhl.
500,000 Palestinian students, healthcare for three million patients and on other relief and social services.
“At this present moment we lack $120 million for this year,” he said.
Krahenbuhl noted that he seeks to stabilise and increase the contributions to their core activities to allow the safe delivery of education services to 500,000 boys and girls.
“Having 500,000 students in our schools receiving education is an investment in dignity and regional stability and I think this is very important,” he stressed.
The UNRWA chief later today in Brussels will meet EU High Representative Federica Mogherini and EU Union Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn, to sign the new Joint Declaration on EU support to UNRWA for the period 2017-2020.
“This is a landmark agreement setting out the framework for the financial and political support of the EU to UNRWA for the next four years (2017-2020). It signals EU’s strong support to UNRWA as an institution and its indispensable role for Palestinian refugees,” he said.
During the signature ceremony, they will also announce the latest EU contribution of EUR 82 million ($92 million) to UNRWA Programme Budget.
He said that UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres recently organised in New York on request of the General Assembly the largest consultation of member states to identify new ways and means to support UNRWA in its longer term effort and to stabilise its financial situation for years to come.
On the situation of the Palestinian refugees, he said, “both their personal and their political horizons are currently closed.” “There is really no identifiable structured peace process initiative.