Qatar Renews Commitment to Supporting UNRWA
New York – Information Office - June 26
The State of Qatar renewed its commitment to supporting the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and called on member states to participate in providing support to the agency.
This came in a statement delivered by HE Qatar's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Ambassador Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al-Thani before the meeting of the Ad Hoc Committee of the General Assembly for the announcement of the voluntary contributions of UNRWA.
Her Excellency said that the Palestinian refugees, numbering over five million registered refugees, consider UNRWA's vital role and assistance indispensable. The assistance is extended under its mandate and within the relevant General Assembly resolutions, she said, noting UNRWA's minimum services to enable refugees to overcome the difficulties and enjoy basic human rights, human development and an adequate standard of living through the agency's comprehensive activities in the areas of basic health care, basic and secondary education, food, shelter, relief and social services.
She continued by saying that the provision of such services and support structures was essential in the face of the challenges faced by the Palestinian refugees because of the continued occupation and the siege imposed on Gaza and the failure to reach a just and comprehensive solution to their cause, stressing that UNRWA's presence would remain an essential and indispensable need until a just and comprehensive settlement was reached for the Palestinian question, including the right of return of refugees in accordance with international law and relevant United Nations resolutions, in particular General Assembly resolution 194 of 1948.
Qatar's Permanent Representative to the United Nations drew attention to the fact that the increase in the number of registered Palestinian refugees, the vulnerable conditions in which they live and the worsening poverty they were experiencing, increased the demand for basic services provided by UNRWA, citing the vast funding gap affecting the agency's program budget.
Her Excellency added that the agency's basic services, which are threatened by the reduction or discontinuation, as reflected in the various reports of the Agency, would cause destabilizing effects in the occupied Palestinian territory, which made it imperative for us to address the humanitarian problems facing Palestinian refugees as a shared international responsibility.
In line with its firm position on the Palestinian cause and the importance of ensuring the basic needs of the Palestinian brothers to enable them to lead a dignified life and in line with its firm support for the UNRWA, the State of Qatar announced the largest pledge of $ 50 million at the extraordinary ministerial conference held in March 2018 and entitled "Preserving Dignity and Sharing Responsibility - Mobilizing Collective Action for UNRWA, HE Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al-Thani said.
Her Excellency called on all member states to provide support to the UNRWA to ensure the continuity of basic services to improve the lives of millions of Palestinians and inspire them to work and look forward to a better future for them and for future generations.
Concluding, she stressed Qatar's commitment to supporting the Agency and supporting all the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people.