The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
After the release of the US Middle East peace plan earlier this week, a lot of Palestinians are “in a state of shock at this point”, said Christian Saunders, acting Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Work Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) today at the United Nations in Geneva.
Speaking to the press Saunders said that “the plan that was released this week is extremely unsettling for the Palestine refugees living under occupation, under blockade, and through conflict after conflict and crisis after crisis, hoping for justice and human rights, and with the constant fear that the international community will one day abandon them”.
He added that “today, more than ever, there is a need for stability and today the international community must send a clear message to Palestine refugees and to the world at large that the international community stands firmly behind them”.
UNRWA is the UN agency mandated by the UN General Assembly to provide protection and assistance to some 5.6 million Palestine refugees in Gaza, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank including East Jerusalem.
US President Trumps Middle East Peace Plan, presented last Tuesday (28.01.), proposed an independent Palestinian state, the recognition of Israeli sovereinty over West Bank settlements and to keep Jerusalem as Israel’s undivided capital. The plan was seen as heavily biased towards Israel and provoked protests of thousands of Palestinians rejecting it.
“A lot of people, a lot of Palestininas, are in a state of shock at this point in time, in a state of disbelief over the Trump Peace plan, the US Peace plan. The coming days, the coming weeks and months will see how they respond to that”, Saunders said.
UNRWA’s interim Commissioner Saunders came to Geneva to launch an appeal to donors to fund UNRWA’s 2020 budget with a minimum of US$ 1.4 billion for the 5,6 million registered refugees across the Middle East for this year.
“We are stretched to our limits under our shrinking budgets and the growing needs of Palestine refugees who are impacted by the same volatility and unpredictability that people face in the Middle East every day”, Saunders said. “In 2020, Palestine refugees in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Gaza, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria will continue to face a range of daunting human development and protection challenges. Central to these pressures is the ongoing occupation of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, the blockade of Gaza, the continuing conflict in Syria, the political crisis in Lebanon and the growing economic needs in Jordan, all of which continue to dramatically impact the lives of Palestine refugees”.
Of the required US$ 1.4 billion, the Agency will use US$ 806 million for essential core services. UNRWA will be able to provide education to over half a million girls and boys in some 700 schools across the region, and enable 8.5 million patient visits in its health facilities, like it did in 2019.
UNRWA has faced severe funding difficulties after President Trump’s decision in 2018 to suspend entirely the US contribution to the agency’s budget, cutting nearly one third of the entire budget.
“In 2018, UNRWA’s largest donor at that time, the United States, stopped funding us, cutting nearly one third of our budget. The repercussions on our finances and plans were huge, but the support we received from our member states and partners was phenomenal, and a true testament to the continued international commitment to Palestine refugee. This incredible support allowed us to continue to provide vital services and protection to Palestine refugees, despite the potential implications of this loss of funding”.
Since 1949 UNRWA has been mandated by the UN General Assembly to provide protection and essential services to Palestinian refugees until there is a just and lasting solution based on international law and relevant UN resolutions.
UNRWA’s humanitarian services encompass primary and vocational training, primary health care, infrastructure and camp improvement to Palestinian refugees.
- Exterior, Palais des Nations
- Wide shot, press briefing room
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Christian Saunders, UNRWA Acting Commissioner-General: “The plan that was released this week is extremely unsettling for the Palestine refugees living under occupation, under blockade, and through conflict after conflict and crisis after crisis, hoping for justice and human rights, and with the constant fear that the international community will one day abandon them. Today, more than ever there is a need for stability and today the international community must send a clear message to Palestine refugees and to the world at large that the international community stands firmly behind them”.
- Wide shot, journalists
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Christian Saunders, UNRWA Acting Commissioner-General: “A lot of people, a lot of Palestininas, are in a state of shock at this point in time, in a state of disbelief over the Trump Peace plan, the US Peace plan. The coming days, the coming weeks and months will see how they respond to that”.
- Medium shot, podium
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Christian Saunders, UNRWA Acting Commissioner-General: “We are stretched to our limits under our shrinking budgets and the growing needs of Palestine refugees who are impacted by the same volatility and unpredictability that people face in the Middle East every day. In 2020, Palestine refugees in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Gaza, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria will continue to face a range of daunting human development and protection challenges. Central to these pressures is the ongoing occupation of the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, the blockade of Gaza, the continuing conflict in Syria, the political crisis in Lebanon and the growing economic needs in Jordan, all of which continue to dramatically impact the lives of Palestine refugees”.
- Medium shot, journalists
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Christian Saunders, UNRWA Acting Commissioner-General: “In 2018, UNRWA’s largest donor at that time, the United States, stopped funding us, cutting nearly one third of our budget. The repercussions on our finances and plans were huge, but the support we received from our member states and partners was phenomenal, and a true testament to the continued international commitment to Palestine refugee. This incredible support allowed us to continue to provide vital services and protection to Palestine refugees, despite the potential implications of this loss of funding”.
- Wide shot, podium
- Medium shot, photographers
- Medium shot, press room
- Medium shot, photographers
- Two shot, journalists
- Close up, journalist
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | UN WOMEN
In war-torn Gaza, a growing number of women-headed households face “impossible decisions” every day, amid ongoing Israeli airstrikes and still-scarce resources, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk made the following remarks to the Enhanced Interactive Dialogue on the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar at the 63rd Human Rights Council.
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk today delivered an update on the global human rights situation to the 63rdsession of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
Repeated attacks on humanitarian warehouses put vital medical aid at risk in Ukraine - WHO
A new airstrike overnight damaged one of the main warehouses used by the UN health agency to store humanitarian medical supplies in the Kyiv region, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday. This is the third attack to affect a WHO-used storage in the last three months.
2
2
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | WMO
Powerful El Niño heightens extreme-weather risks through 2027, as countries brace for impact - WMO
Fuelled by extraordinarily warm waters across the tropical Pacific Ocean, the El Niño climate pattern is expected to intensify in the coming months. Forecasters are almost certain that it will persist through February next year, with unusually warm conditions expected across the globe.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , IFRC , UN WOMEN , WHO
Nepal flood deaths near 1,000 as those spared struggle to survive – UN humanitarians
With the death toll in Nepal’s catastrophic flash floods inching towards 1,000, rescue workers are facing harsh conditions while survivors lack access to food, safe water and health care, humanitarians said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , UNDRR , IFRC , WHO
Nepal: Flooding disaster “not over” as humanitarians work around the clock
While search and rescue efforts continued Friday following flash floods and mudslides in northern Nepal, UN humanitarians are taking stock of the devastation amid concerns over more flooding to come.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNIFIL
Damaged roads, disrupted services and renewed military activity are putting civilians at risk in south Lebanon, UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) warns.
The UN peacekeeping mission is urging restraint and renewed political engagement to prevent further escalation.
1
1
1
Edited News | ICRC , UNODA
Amid unconfirmed reports that fully autonomous and AI-guided drones are now being used on the battlefield, UN chief António Guterres and the President of the Red Cross on Tuesday renewed their urgent call for stricter controls, before it is too late.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF
Somalia: child hunger surges as humanitarian aid dries up – UNICEF
The global funding crisis for vital lifesaving work is taking a growing toll on the most vulnerable children in Somalia, where hundreds of health and nutrition facilities have been forced to close, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned on Friday
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA
As the deadliest Ebola outbreak in DR Congo’s history continued spreading on Friday, UN responders renewed their urgent appeal for immediate international support, with existing funding for lifesaving work critically low.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
DRC: In the fight against Ebola, bikers transporting dead bodies hold key to community engagement - WHO
From the frontlines of the deadliest-ever Ebola Bundibugyo outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the UN’s World Health Organization (WHO) shared details on Tuesday of a massive push for community engagement, a day after yet another ambulance attack.