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UNRWA Commissioner-General Pierre Krähenbühl Concludes Three-Day Visit to Japan
28 October 2016
East Jerusalem
The Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), Pierre Krähenbühl, concluded a three-day mission to Japan in recognition of the long-standing partnership between UNRWA and Japan and to draw attention to the current situation of Palestine refugees in the Agency's fields of operations.
The Commissioner-General met with the Chief Cabinet Secretary, Yoshihide Suga, with the State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Nobuo Kishi, with former Prime Minister of Japan and Representative of the Government of Japan for the World Humanitarian Summit, Yasuo Fukuda and other senior government officials. The discussions focused on the importance to improve prospects for Palestine Refugees, in particular youth, and on avenues to further expand the exemplary cooperation with Japan.
Mr. Krähenbühl also met with the Director-General of the International Cooperation Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Takio Yamada. He expressed deep appreciation for Japan's genuine solidarity and record-level support to UNRWA in 2016. The Commissioner-General further met with the Director-General of the Middle Eastern and African Affairs Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs , Tsukasa Uemura, and with the Special Envoy of the Government of Japan for the Middle East Peace Process, Masaharu Kohno.
A meeting took place with the Senior Vice-President of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Kazuhiko Koshikawa following a seminar that was organized by the JICA Research Institute, where Mr. Krähenbühl delivered a lecture on the Agency's work and on the importance to keep a strong focus on Palestine refugees.
He also met with several parliamentarians, including Taro Kono, Toshiko Abe, Mitsunari Okamoto and Keiichi Koshimizu from the House of Representatives, as well as Natsuo Yamaguchi, Keizo Takemi and Masaaki Taniai from the House of Councilors.
Furthermore, Mr Krähenbühl met and exchanged views with representatives from several Japan-based NGOs working on Palestine refugees issues.
The Commissioner-General expressed his sincere gratitude and said: "The level of concern for the Palestine refugee community, the interest in UNRWA's work and the respect for our staff was a source of great encouragement during the visit. I look forward to our continued partnership with Japan."
In 2015, Japan was among the top five donors to the Agency's core programmes and services, including education, health care, and relief and social services. Earlier this month, Japan announced an additional contribution of JPY 420 million (approximately US$ 4 million) to support the UNRWA food assistance programme in Gaza, bringing the total contributions to UNRWA in 2016 to U$ 44 million. A record year for Japan's support to UNRWA.
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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. UNRWA encourages all Member States to work collectively to exert all possible efforts to fully fund the Agency's Programme Budget. 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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