UNRWA requires $100 million to cover its budget deficit

CAIRO, )– UNRWA requested 100 million dollars from the international community to fill the financial gap in its budget or else it would become unable to provide basic services for Palestinian refugees worldwide.

UNRWA commissioner-general, Filippo Grandi, said during an advisory committee meeting in Cairo on Tuesday, “The fiscal deficit which UNRWA suffers is extremely serious, as it reduces its ability to provide services to the needy. Without required funding, the agency would not be able to carry out vital and important activities, such as participation in the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip if the blockade is lifted.”

Grandi noted that the international agency has cut its support for Palestinian refugees despite their growing poverty and social exclusion, other than discontinuing payment for their medical treatment.

It has also cut spending on maintenance for its subsidiary buildings, reduced the number of textbooks, and suspended activities to support children with special needs in the Gaza Strip, he elaborated.

UNRWA top official said that it will continue to ensure the management of financial resources and programs effectively, and will take steps in reducing expenses and costs, and reiterated calls on the world to help the agency out of its financial difficulty, which may soon prevent it from achieving the objectives behind its establishment.