By IANS
New York : The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has announced that it will double its annual contribution to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) from the current $500,000 to $1 million from next year, news agency WAM reported Sunday.
The UAE pledge came in a statement of Faisal Ahmed Rashid al Malik, member of the country’s UN delegation, at the UN General Secretariat in New York.
He reiterated the UAE’s stance over the Palestine issue, which calls for a permanent and comprehensive peace solution.
During the last few days, 22 international donors have pledged more than $160 million to support the main UN agency providing vital humanitarian aid to some 4.5 million Palestinian refugees in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan.
Meanwhile, UNRWA Deputy Commission-General Filippo Grandi said that while many refugees had moved towards self-reliance, deep pockets of deprivation remained to be tackled.
According to the UN’s latest humanitarian fact sheet on Gaza, roughly 75 percent of Gaza’s population receives food aid. But while regular humanitarian aid is continuing, import restrictions have led to the suspension of more than $200 million worth of relief projects.
The latest figures underscore the vital work carried out by the UNRWA, which is not only a humanitarian organization but also the main provider of essential public services to the Palestinian refugees.