An international meeting to mobilize support for UNRWA: The stumbling block in its work threatens th

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[size=52]An international meeting to mobilize support for UNRWA: The stumbling block in its work threatens the stability of the region[/size]

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[size=31]A Palestinian child in front of the UNRWA office in Gaza[/size]

[size=31]Amman[/size]

[size=31]Anwar Ziyadat[/size]

New York

[size=31]I smile determined[/size]

September 23, 2022

United Nations Secretary-General  [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] said that supporting the  [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees ( [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]) is a "moral responsibility", and that the failure of its work "would lead to frustration and provide a fertile environment for terrorist organizations to recruit." 
[size=45]This came during a ministerial meeting to support UNRWA in New York on Thursday, chaired by Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriate Affairs [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] , and Swedish Minister of Foreign Affairs Anne Lindy, and attended by a number of foreign ministers and representatives of about forty countries and international organizations, and the Agency’s Commissioner-General Philip Lazzarini, according to A statement issued by the Jordanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the meeting.[/size]

[size=45]The meeting focused on developing policies and strategies that would ensure the sustainability of funding the Agency's work programs to enable it to provide its vital services to Palestinian refugees in its five areas of operation.[/size]
[size=45]The meeting also discussed the necessity of “continuing efforts to mobilize support for the vote in the United Nations General Assembly to renew the agency’s mandate” next December.[/size]
[size=45]During the meeting, the Secretary-General of the United Nations stressed the pivotal role of UNRWA in promoting regional stability, calling for adequate and sustainable funding for it.[/size]
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[size=45]Guterres noted that "despite the estimated support of donors over the past years, there is still a funding gap estimated at $100 million, and this amount is incomparable to the support and assistance provided to the Ukrainian crisis," calling on the international community to assume its responsibilities and work to "Bridging This Funding Gap and Closing the Agency's Budget Deficit".[/size]
[size=45]In turn, Safadi, in an intervention during the meeting, spoke about the agency's pivotal role in promoting regional stability, stressing that "the agency's role is indispensable" and that it is an "important factor of stability in the region."[/size]
[size=45]Al-Safadi said that Jordan, which represents the largest supporter of the Agency and the Palestinian refugees, will continue to work with partners and UNRWA to ensure the continuation of providing the necessary funding to the Agency and to fill the deficit in its budgets, stressing its rejection of any change in the Agency’s mandate and powers, or a change in its services provided to refugees. He also warned of the consequences of continuing The chronic financial deficit experienced by the Agency annually.[/size]
[size=45]Safadi stressed the need to work to develop policies, strategies and a predictable budget through a 3-year funding plan, and to enable UNRWA to fund its program budget from the regular budget of the United Nations.[/size]
[size=45]He added: “The agency must continue to provide its services until the refugee issue is resolved in accordance with international law, and in the context of a comprehensive solution based on the two-state solution, which embodies the establishment of an independent, sovereign Palestinian state with occupied Jerusalem as its capital on the June 4, 1967 lines to live in peace and security. on the side of Israel.[/size]
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[size=45]For her part, Swedish Foreign Minister Anne Linde said that "the meeting confirms the keenness of the international community to support UNRWA and its essential and indispensable role," stressing "the importance of providing sustainable and stable financial support to the agency, which is in dire need now to be able to provide its services." In the sectors of education, health, relief, and other services in its five areas of operation.”[/size]
[size=45]She also stressed the need for a secure source of funding for UNRWA, and that its collapse "may lead to a lack of hope among Palestinian youth and an increase in instability and radicalism."[/size]
[size=45]In response to a question by Al-Araby Al-Jadeed about what Sweden and other Western countries are doing to pressure Israel to stop settlements and human rights violations, Linde said: “We look forward to achieving a two-state solution through negotiations, an agreement on borders without any settlement steps, and respect for the law.” The international community and the cessation of the occupation, taking into account the Israeli security concerns.”[/size]
[size=45]UNRWA Commissioner-General Philip Lazzarini spoke about the challenges facing the agency and its financial deficit, reviewing the agency's plans for the coming years and efforts to provide it with the necessary support.[/size]
[size=45]Jordan and Sweden have worked together in recent years to mobilize political and financial support for UNRWA. Since 2018, they have organized several international conferences and meetings, which have mainly contributed to mobilizing support for the Agency and reducing its budget deficit in previous years from $446 million to $100 million.[/size]
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