ID :
94991
Tue, 12/15/2009 - 14:51
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https://oananews.org//node/94991
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UNRWA launches US$323mn appeal for 2010, thanks UAE for support
Cairo - Dec 15, 2009 (WAM) - Commissioner-General of United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) Karen AbuZayd urged GCC countries to follow the suit of UAE President H.H. Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan who pledged US$2.5 million to the agency's budget in order to assist it meet the growing needs of the Palestine refugee community.
She hailed the UAE's gesture as a pioneering step, raising the UAE gross donations to the UNRWA's regular budget to US$3.5 million this year.
Speaking at a press conference she held here yesterday to launch an emergency appeal for 2010, AbuZayd paid a rich tribute to Sheikh Khalifa and the UAE for supporting the UN agency.
AbuZayd said : "I am deeply grateful to Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed and the government of the UAE for this generous response to the Agency's appeal for help with its regular budget deficit.
The UAE's pledge marks the second donation this year from the Emirati government, which contributed US$1 million earlier in the year. The overall donation of US$3.5 million represents the largest annual contribution by an Arab donor to UNRWA's regular budget in the last twenty years, and makes the UAE the top Arab donor in 2009 to the Agency's.
UNRWA launched its 2010 Emergency appeal for over US$323,000,000 which will be used to fund a range of programmes including job creation, education, emergency health and mental health and community mental health as well as a protection programme.
Launching the appeal yesterday at the League of Arab States in Cairo, UNRWA Commissioner-General, Karen AbuZayd, said "With this appeal, UNRWA will undertake a combination of direct humanitarian relief and protection activities, to help ensure security for the most vulnerable communities and individuals in the territory."She emphasized that funds from the appeal will allow UNRWA to make direct interventions in response to the most acute needs.
The appeal is a response to the continued and protracted crisis in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) and targets the most vulnerable refugees in the oPt, in particular the population of Gaza and those communities in the West Bank most affected by closures and access restrictions.
The past 12 months have seen an intensification of the crisis in the oPt, with lives and livelihoods ravaged by a combination of Israeli-imposed restrictions on access and movement and persistent conflict. The year began with Israel's military offensive in Gaza, which resulted in death and destruction on a massive scale. The humanitarian crisis in the Strip was compounded by the ongoing siege on Gaza's borders. This blockade has had devastating consequences on all aspects of life for the 1.4 million people trapped in Gaza. While the residents of Gaza continue to suffer severe shortages of basic goods and building materials, they remain unable to rebuild their lives, communities and economy.
The past 12 months have also witnessed further fragmentation of West Bank territory and segregation of the Palestinian population that has gone hand in hand with the illegal consolidation and expansion of Israeli settlements. For many Palestinians in the West Bank, access to economic resources and basic services continues to be severely restricted, and opportunities for sustainable growth and development limited.
Palestine refugees, who account for around 40 percent of the total population of the oPt and more than two-thirds in Gaza, continue to suffer the worst impacts of the crisis. They typically endure higher levels of poverty, unemployment and food insecurity than non-refugees.
She hailed the UAE's gesture as a pioneering step, raising the UAE gross donations to the UNRWA's regular budget to US$3.5 million this year.
Speaking at a press conference she held here yesterday to launch an emergency appeal for 2010, AbuZayd paid a rich tribute to Sheikh Khalifa and the UAE for supporting the UN agency.
AbuZayd said : "I am deeply grateful to Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed and the government of the UAE for this generous response to the Agency's appeal for help with its regular budget deficit.
The UAE's pledge marks the second donation this year from the Emirati government, which contributed US$1 million earlier in the year. The overall donation of US$3.5 million represents the largest annual contribution by an Arab donor to UNRWA's regular budget in the last twenty years, and makes the UAE the top Arab donor in 2009 to the Agency's.
UNRWA launched its 2010 Emergency appeal for over US$323,000,000 which will be used to fund a range of programmes including job creation, education, emergency health and mental health and community mental health as well as a protection programme.
Launching the appeal yesterday at the League of Arab States in Cairo, UNRWA Commissioner-General, Karen AbuZayd, said "With this appeal, UNRWA will undertake a combination of direct humanitarian relief and protection activities, to help ensure security for the most vulnerable communities and individuals in the territory."She emphasized that funds from the appeal will allow UNRWA to make direct interventions in response to the most acute needs.
The appeal is a response to the continued and protracted crisis in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) and targets the most vulnerable refugees in the oPt, in particular the population of Gaza and those communities in the West Bank most affected by closures and access restrictions.
The past 12 months have seen an intensification of the crisis in the oPt, with lives and livelihoods ravaged by a combination of Israeli-imposed restrictions on access and movement and persistent conflict. The year began with Israel's military offensive in Gaza, which resulted in death and destruction on a massive scale. The humanitarian crisis in the Strip was compounded by the ongoing siege on Gaza's borders. This blockade has had devastating consequences on all aspects of life for the 1.4 million people trapped in Gaza. While the residents of Gaza continue to suffer severe shortages of basic goods and building materials, they remain unable to rebuild their lives, communities and economy.
The past 12 months have also witnessed further fragmentation of West Bank territory and segregation of the Palestinian population that has gone hand in hand with the illegal consolidation and expansion of Israeli settlements. For many Palestinians in the West Bank, access to economic resources and basic services continues to be severely restricted, and opportunities for sustainable growth and development limited.
Palestine refugees, who account for around 40 percent of the total population of the oPt and more than two-thirds in Gaza, continue to suffer the worst impacts of the crisis. They typically endure higher levels of poverty, unemployment and food insecurity than non-refugees.
