Saudi Arabia donates $27 million to UNRWA

AMMAN — The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) on Sunday welcomed a contribution of $27 million from Saudi Arabia in support of the agency’s programmes and operations in the region.  

“We are delighted to receive this generous contribution from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia” said Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA commissioner general during a ceremony held at the Saudi Embassy in Amman, according to an UNRWA statement. 

“This renewed commitment to the work of UNRWA is in line with the Kingdom’s longstanding generosity towards Palestine refugees and in solidarity with them,” he added. 

This contribution from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia will enable UNRWA to continue delivering education and health programmes, reaching the most vulnerable Palestine refugees in the West Bank, including occupied East Jerusalem, Gaza, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.

Nayef Bin Bandar Al Sudairi, Ambassador of the Saudi Arabia to Jordan, said: "The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has historically been devoted to providing political and socioeconomic support to the Palestinian cause. This includes supporting the rights of the Palestinian people in United Nations and humanitarian organisations and the historic cooperation with UNRWA through continuous support for the services it provides." 

"We sincerely appreciate the role and work of UNRWA in supporting Palestine refugees.  This has become especially critical in light of the unprecedented financial challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the challenges of the repeated Israeli aggression against the Gaza Strip and the Palestinian people across the Palestinian territories," he added.

Al Sudairi noted: "Security and stability of the Middle East requires speeding up efforts to reach a just and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian question, in line with international resolutions, the Arab Peace Initiative, and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital. The Kingdom condemns all unilateral measures that undermine the two-state solution and calls for their immediate cessation".

Al Sudairi also pointed out that the total Saudi support to Palestine since 1999 has amounted to more than $5.2 billion.

Saudi Arabia has contributed nearly $1 billion to UNRWA in the past decade. This recent contribution follows a 2019 pledge of $50 million from Saudi Arabia.

“There are few sources of stability in the lives of Palestine refugees. Access to basic services like education and primary health care are among them. Following decades of partnership with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, UNRWA looks forward to further deepening it to promote a dignified life, especially in the face of growing needs and deteriorating conditions in the Palestinian camps across the region” concluded Lazzarini.