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PRESS RELEASE
UNRWA Commissioner-General Pierre Krähenbühl visits the Kingdom of Belgium
UNRWA Commissioner-General Pierre Krähenbühl meets with Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs of Belgium Didier Reynders
during his visit to Brussels on 14 June 2016. © 2016 UNRWA Photo by Frederick Swinnen
15 June 2016
Brussels
On 14 June 2016, the Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), Pierre Krähenbühl, visited Belgium to express appreciation for the strength and quality of the partnership between the Kingdom and the Agency.
Mr. Krähenbühl met with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Didier Reynders, and with the Minister of Development Cooperation, Alexander De Croo. In both meetings, he had the opportunity to highlight the dramatic circumstances affecting Palestine refugees, particularly in Gaza, the West Bank and Syria, as well as to underline the importance of UNRWA services. Ministers Reynders and De Croo reiterated Belgium's commitment to ongoing strong support to the Agency’s work in highly challenging contexts.
The Commissioner-General further briefed the Federal Parliament’s External Relations Committee, highlighting the cooperation between UNRWA and Belgium and raising awareness about the current situation facing Palestine refugees.
The Commissioner-General said, “I wish to thank the Government and people of Belgium for their long-standing generous support. Through this partnership, Belgium invests in UNRWA's ability to provide a measure of dignity to Palestine refugees and in vital services, particularly the provision of crucial education to 500,000 Palestine refugee boys and girls. I am very grateful for the trust and solidarity expressed during my visit.”
Together with Minister De Croo, Mr. Krähenbühl also participated in a debate, entitled ‘10 Years of the Blockade in Gaza: Humanitarian Consequences’, at the Palais des Beaux-Arts – Bozar in Brussels.
Belgium has long been one of the Agency’s most reliable donors. In 2015, Belgium contributed US$ 11.6 million to UNRWA, including EUR 6.25 million (US$ 6.99 million) towards the Agency’s core programmes and services. In 2015, the Government of Belgium contributed EUR 2.45 million (US$ 2.6 million) in support of the Agency’s humanitarian response in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) (of which EUR 2 million went to shelter assistance in Gaza and EUR 450,000 to community health in the West Bank) and EUR 1.5 million (US$ 1. 6 million) to the Syria Regional Crisis Emergency Appeal. In 2016, Belgium contributed EUR 6.25 million (US$ 7.14 million) to the Agency’s core programmes and services.
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Background information
UNRWA is confronted with an increased demand for services resulting from a growth in the number of registered Palestine refugees, the extent of their vulnerability and their deepening poverty. UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions and financial support has been outpaced by the growth in needs. As a result, the UNRWA Programme Budget, which supports the delivery of core essential services, operates with a large shortfall, projected for 2016 to stand at US$ 74 million. UNRWA emergency programmes and key projects, also operating with large shortfalls, are funded through separate funding portals.
UNRWA is a United Nations agency established by the General Assembly in 1949 and mandated to provide assistance and protection to some 5 million registered Palestine refugees. Its mission is to help Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, West Bank and the Gaza Strip achieve their full human development potential, pending a just and lasting solution to their plight. UNRWA services encompass education, health care, relief and social services, camp infrastructure and improvement, protection and microfinance .
For more information, please contact:
Christopher Gunness UNRWA Spokesperson Mobile: +972 (0)54 240 2659 Office: +972 (0)2 589 0267 | Sami Mshasha | |
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