UN agency for Palestine refugees seeks new contributors to achieve sustainable
funding for budget

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) said on Wednesday that it will hold contacts with donors to bring new contributors to achieve sustainable funding to cover its budget.

UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini made the remark during a meeting with Ahmad Abu Holi, a member of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO)'s executive committee, in Gaza city.

The donors' conference, which was held in Brussels on Nov. 16 to collect funds for the Palestinians, "is a positive and successful step, but it is not a magic wand to solve all the problems," Lazzarini said.

On Nov. 16, the international conference held in Brussels to support the UNRWA was attended by about 60 countries and international organizations.

Holi told reporters that it is essential to build on the results of the donors' conference "to achieve financial stability in the UNRWA's regular budget and cover the current financial deficit which has reached 60 million U.S. dollars."

The UNRWA was established by the UN General Assembly in 1949 with a mandate to provide assistance and protection to some 5.6 million Palestinian refugees in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan. Enditem