UN agency for Palestinians warns of cuts ahead

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees has warned that cuts to key programs in the Gaza Strip and West Bank are planned over the coming weeks, if a US funding freeze cannot be overcome.

Figures were not yet available on the cuts being planned if the major gap in financing is not resolved, but a letter sent to agency staff over the weekend and seen by AFP today highlights areas targeted.

A source familiar with the plans describes the areas expected to be affected in further detail, saying they include employment programs, housing assistance, and mental health support, among others.

Most of the cuts are expected in the West Bank. Some programs were due to run out of funds by the end of July, according to the source.

The letter says the agency, known as UNRWA, will work to maintain vital food assistance programs, particularly for the impoverished Gaza Strip.

But the source says those too could face reductions in the coming months if additional financing was not found.

UNRWA head Pierre Krahenbuhl says in the letter to staff that he has called on donors who had already helped out with pledges to assist further so the agency could “overcome the rest of the shortfall,” currently at $217 million.

“I said to them and I say to you now with great honesty: a shortfall of $217 million is still far higher than any UNRWA has ever faced in its history,” the letter said.

“As the agency’s commissioner-general, I cannot hide the dramatic risks that we face to our services if we do not receive additional funding very rapidly.”

The agency will decide in the first half of August whether it will open the schools it operates on time, following the summer break, Krahenbuhl says in the letter.

— AFP