Qatar joins extraordinary virtual pledging conference of UNRWA
DOHA: The State of Qatar participated in the work of the extraordinary virtual conference to announce pledges for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).
Sultan bin Saad al Muraikhi, the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, represented Qatar at the conference held on June 23 via video conferencing.
In a speech before the conference, Sultan al-Muraikhi stressed that the state of Qatar will continue to provide support to the UNRWA within the framework of enabling it to carry out its mandate, adding that Qatar has been and remains at the forefront of the countries supporting it, as it has provided through the Qatar Fund For Development more than $100 million since 2015.
He explained that the support provided by the state of Qatar to UNRWA in 2020, which was announced in 2019, amounts to a total of $11.2 million, according to the agreement signed in December 2019 on the sidelines of the Doha Forum between the state of Qatar and UNRWA, along with the amount of $1.5 million provided by the Education Above All Foundation in the state of Qatar to support the Palestinian government represented by the Ministry of Education to ensure the right to education of Palestinian children.
Sultan al-Muraikhi underscored that the state of Qatar will remain at the forefront of the effective
Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sultan bin Saad al-Muraikhi
countries to enhance the UNRWA’s ability to continue to perform its mandate and carry out its activities effectively in line with its principles and firm commitment in supporting the Palestinian people.
He said that the state of Qatar is today the first in the Arab world in providing support to UNRWA’s core resources for 2019-2020.
The minister stated that this conference was taking place in light of the increasing financial crisis facing the UNRWA and the additional burden imposed by the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic on its work.
He reiterated the support of the state of Qatar for the efforts of the new Commissioner-General of UNRWA and thanked the Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres, for his efforts to mobilize support for the agency. Sultan al-Muraikhi also thanked the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the Kingdom of Sweden for organizing the conference.