UNRWA warns of shortage in funding its activities

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has warned of shortage in funding its activities, announcing that it has shifted a big part of its expenditures to the new fiscal year. 

“The current year 2023 is the most difficult in terms of the financial crisis facing UNRWA, as the agency left last year with a financial deficit of $80 million, which is the largest in decades”, Mahmoud Khalaf, coordinator of the Joint Committee for Palestinian Refugees said.

Khalaf added: “The financial deficit comes in the light of a real crisis and the reluctance of many countries to make pledges to UNRWA to pay sums of money, especially after the Brussels conference which was held last November under the title “multi-year financing”, as only 60% of the funding was provided.

He pointed out that this will have serious repercussions on the services provided to Palestinian refugees, especially those related to health, education, environmental health and the food parcels.

He stressed the need to call on the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the Commissioner-General of UNRWA and the international community to appeal to the sponsoring and supporting countries to provide adequate budgets for the Agency.

Khalaf explained that the Agency is preparing on the 24th of this month to launch an “emergency appeal” for UNRWA, according to which at least $400 million must be secured to cover food and health needs, so that UNRWA can carry out its plans for 2023.

He stressed that the basic needs provided by UNRWA are below the minimum level as a result of the ongoing financial crisis.

Earlier, Philippe Lazzarini, the Agency’s Commissioner-General for the Near East, warned that the agency would be unable to fulfill its mandate if the same funding continued in the future, considering that the agency has faced a severe shortage of funding and suffered “the largest debt in its history.”

Nada Haj Khidr