Indonesia boosts UNRWA support fivefold

AMMAN — Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi on Wednesday announced a $1-million contribution to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), in Amman.

During a meeting with UNRWA Commissioner General Pierre Krähenbühl, Marsudi said that “Palestine is at the heart of Indonesia’s foreign policy, and in the heart of Indonesian people”.

This is a fivefold increase of the Indonesian UNRWA support package, according to an official statement that was sent to The Jordan Times.

“I know that UNRWA is facing another difficult year, so I wanted to come to you to show Indonesia’s support, hoping that this will attract increased support by other countries,” Marsudi added.

The Indonesian minister also met with a number of students at an UNRWA school in the Wihdat refugee camp and visited a family of Palestine refugees, the statement said.

During a special dialogue with student parliamentarians, the Marsudi reaffirmed Indonesia’s commitment to UNRWA’s cause and to the empowerment of female students.

Krähenbühl expressed gratitude for Indonesia’s important contribution and partnership, thanking the minister, government and people of Indonesia for their “political and financial support”.

“Today’s visit represents a source of great encouragement for our students and all our staff. We value the increase in funding and Indonesia’s important advocacy for the dignity of Palestine refugees,” he said.

According to the statement, the agreement signed today will help provide important health services to some 29,000 Palestine refugees — and food assistance to over 9,500 — living in and around Jerash refugee camp in Jordan.

The support will focus on a particularly vulnerable community, the statement said, in reference to refugees originating from Gaza.

Indonesia’s growing partnership with UNRWA is of special significance, the statement underlined, highlighting the minister’s endorsement of the initiative to establish a Developmental Waqf Fund for Palestine refugees.

Indonesia announced its support of the initiative during the recent Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation in Abu Dhabi.

UNRWA is confronted with an increased demand for services resulting from a growth in the number of registered Palestine refugees, cited by UNRWA at some 5.4 million in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the occupied West Bank and Gaza.

The agency is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions.