UAE, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait ensure UNRWA schools can open

GAZA // The head of the UN Palestinian refugee agency yesterday thanked the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait for covering half of the US$100 million (Dh367m) shortfall in funding for UNRWA schools to begin the academic year on schedule.

“Students will return to school according to plan in Palestine on August 24, in Jordan on September 1, in Lebanon on September 7 and in Syria on September 13,” said UNRWA’s commissioner-general, Pierre Krahenbuhl.

“We express profound appre- ciation to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the State of Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates – whose remarkable combined contributions cover almost half of the 2015 deficit – and to the United States of America, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, Norway, Sweden and the Slovak Republic, who have contributed generously to help address the funding shortfall.” On August 5, UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon warned that the shortfall in funding for the agency had placed the new school year in jeopardy. Since then, Mr Krahenbuhl said, donors had stepped forward . “The total amount of contributions received to date against the deficit is US$78.9m ( Dh290m),” he said. “While some significant work remains, we have achieved our first objective and can open the schools.”

“Education is a fundamental right for children everywhere, and it should never have come to the point where the UNRWA school year risked being delayed because of a funding shortfall for our core budget. But it almost did,” he added.