UNRWA seeks $75 million for Palestinian refugees

Group asks emerging economies to ‘step up to the plate’ and aid Gaza’s poorest

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The UN agency assisting nearly 5 million Palestinian refugees appealed for $75 million Friday to help pay for schools, clinics, and small stipends to help the very poor for the rest of the year.

Filippo Grandi, commissioner general of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees, told a news conference that UNRWA is especially targeting the newly emerging economic and political powers including Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

He expressed hope that these countries and others would “step up to the plate” and share the burden of financing UNRWA’s main operations with the current donors, including the US, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Australia and many countries in Western Europe.

Grandi praised Brazil for contributing $7.5 million for UNRWA operations in Gaza this year and India for contributing in the last few years and expressed hope they would become permanent donors.

He said China is not a major donor to UNRWA and expressed hope that Beijing will “accompany its very good political support with some financial contribution as well.”

UNRWA’s main operating budget is about $600 million annually, Grandi said, and he appealed for help to fill the projected $75 million gap “to finish the year and be able to keep the schools running and the health clinics running.”

He said there is a risk that the Palestinian issue will get eclipsed “because so much else is going on in the region” — and that “within the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the refugee question gets further eclipsed.”

UNRWA helps refugees in Gaza, east Jerusalem, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.

Asked whether any Palestinian refugees had been involved in the yearlong conflict in Syria or had left the country, Grandi said: “we have not seen any significant movements.”

“There has been no instance of involvement, and my appeal is for this situation to continue,” he said. “It’s very, very important that the Palestinians continue as a group of vulnerable refugees to be isolated and to remain outside of the conflict.”