– The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) welcomed, on Wednesday the Kuwaiti additional donation amounting to USD two million.
In a press statement, UNRWA said that Kuwait Ambassador to Jordan Aziz Al-Dihani presented UNRWA Acting Director of External Relations Tamara Alrifai with the donation cheque at the Embassy of Kuwait in Amman.
The statement quoted Al-Dihani as saying “this donation from the government of Kuwait aims to enhance activities and programs of the UNRWA for about five million Palestinian refugees in the region.
“It comes in line with directives of the Kuwaiti higher political leadership and the government of Kuwait to stress the Kuwaiti position toward the Palestinian case , and the commitment to support the humanitarian situation to the Palestinian refuges “, Ambassador Al-Dihani stressed.
He praised the role played by UNRWA and its efforts in providing basic services such as health and education to Palestinians refugees in its fields of operations, pointing to Kuwait’s cooperation with the UN organizations in order to achieve development goals for societies.
This funding is in addition to an earlier US$ 10 million contribution to the Agency for 2022 , in support of its core programed Budget for essential services including health care, education, and relief and social services. For her part, Al-Rifai said, “With this additional donation, Kuwait is showing Palestine’s refugees that its long-term support is still firm” “UNRWA is truly grateful to Kuwait’s government and people for their generosity and solidarity. In times of acute financial crisis like the one that UNRWA is facing now, this additional contribution is very welcome and will hopefully encourage other partners to come forward”, Al-Rifai added.
“Kuwait has long been an important partner to UNRWA and Palestine refugees, the statement said, since 2000, contributions from Kuwait to the Agency have neared US$ 215 million, including USD 65 million for UNRWA emergency operations in Syria”, it noted.
This vital support from the Government of Kuwait and Kuwait-based organizations such as the International Islamic Charity Organization, the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development and the Kuwait Red Crescent enables UNRWA to continue to provide essential services to some 8.5 million Palestine refugees across the Middle East.
UNRWA is facing immense financial challenges that threaten its ability to maintain all services. It is calling on governments, donors and partners to continue their support to Palestine refugees, who rely almost entirely on the Agency for their daily needs.
Sufficient funding to UNRWA will enable it to carry out its mandate and maintain all critical services, contributing to the wellbeing and feeling of stability of Palestine refugees
Source: Kuwait News Agency