"Palestinian Affairs": Jordan Stands by UNRWA Mandate
Amman3 min read
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Director General of the Palestinian Affairs Department, Rafiq Khrafani, said on Wednesday that Jordan's position is clear on the necessity of preserving the mandate of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), renewing its mandate, and ensuring the continuity of its services to Palestinian refugees.
Khrafani rejected any steps that would lead to emptying the mandate of UNRWA of its content or burdening host countries with additional responsibilities.
Khrafani explained that the agency faces a financial deficit of $100 million, noting that it had to reduce service hours by 20% since January, in addition to the impact on employee salaries.
Khrafani pointed out that the meeting of the Subcommittee of the Advisory Committee of the Agency in Amman, attended by representatives of donor countries, host countries, and observer members, discussed updates on UNRWA's work in Lebanon, Gaza, and the West Bank, as well as the operational challenges facing the agency and its financial situation.
The Subcommittee of the Advisory Committee of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) discussed, during its meeting, the political and financial challenges related to the agency and their direct impact on refugee communities, its acute financial crisis, and its operational repercussions.
During the meeting, chaired by Ireland and attended by the Department of Refugee Affairs of the Palestine Liberation Organization, the Acting Commissioner-General of UNRWA Christian Saunders, and representatives of donor and host countries and observer members, the committee discussed mechanisms to develop and strengthen the agency's operations to ensure greater financial and programmatic sustainability, in addition to the files of refugee protection and the preservation of UNRWA's legal mandate.
UNRWA provided comprehensive field updates from its areas of operation in Gaza, the West Bank, and Lebanon, including the operational conditions of the Qalandia Training Center.
It should be noted that meetings related to UNRWA support will be held on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly meetings next week.
For his part, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on the international community to cover a funding gap of $100 million suffered by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), indicating that the agency is approaching a point of collapse after austerity measures and sharp cuts in spending.
For its part, the Palestinian Foreign Ministry affirmed the importance of the role of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in protecting and aiding Palestinian refugees, in education, healthcare, social protection, and emergency assistance to enhance refugees' self-reliance and preserve their dignity in all places of their presence, including the Gaza Strip, the rest of the occupied Palestinian territory, including East Jerusalem, and in refugee camps in neighboring host countries.
The Palestinian Foreign Ministry pointed out that UNRWA was established by an international decision with a clear mandate, and its work is welcomed in the State of Palestine, calling on it to continue its work in the Palestinian territory, considering it a lifeline, irreplaceable, and a factor of stability.
