East Jerusalem
The Azerbaijan International Development Agency had donated $ 632,000 to UNRWA to provide urgently needed emergency relief assistance to Palestinian refugees in the Gaza Strip. The donation comes in response to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) Flash Appeal to support those impacted by the July-August conflict.
This first ever donation from Azerbaijan will help UNRWA to provide food, water and sanitation services to over 30,000 displaced people living temporarily in 18 UNRWA schools, psycho-social support particularly for children, and cash grants to the homeless for rent.
UNRWA Commissioner-General Pierre Krähenbühl welcomed the contribution, saying: "I am delighted that we are receiving this first ever support from Azerbaijan. Not only will it be very useful in Gaza, and for that we are deeply grateful, but this new partnership encourages us to explore more cooperation with Azerbaijan in favor of Palestinian refugees."
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
UNRWA is a United Nations agency established by the General Assembly in 1949 and is mandated to provide assistance and protection to a population of some 5 million registered Palestine refugees. Its mission is to help Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, West Bank and the Gaza Strip to achieve their full potential in human development, pending a just solution to their plight. UNRWA’s services encompass education, health care, relief and social services, camp infrastructure and improvement, and microfinance.
Financial support to UNRWA has not kept pace with an increased demand for services caused by growing numbers of registered refugees, expanding need, and deepening poverty. As a result, the Agency's General Fund (GF), supporting UNRWA’s core activities and 97 per cent reliant on voluntary contributions, has begun each year with a large projected deficit. Currently the deficit stands at US$ 56 million.
For more information, please contact:
Christopher Gunness
UNRWA Spokesperson
Mobile: +972 (0)54 240 2659
Office: +972 (0)2 589 0267
c.gunness@unrwa.org (link sends e-mail)
Sami Mshasha
UNRWA Arabic Spokesperson
Mobile: +972 (0)54 216 8295
Office: +972 (0)2 589 0724
s.mshasha@unrwa.org