PALESTINIAN PM : UNRWA CRISIS TO BE SOLVED IN COMING DAYS

Ramallah, 26 Shawwal 1436/11 August 2015 (MINA) –The financial crisis within the UN refugee agency for Palestinian refugees will be solved in the coming days, Palestinian Authority (PA) Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah said, Tuesday,(11/8)

Efforts are being made to ensure the school year starts on time, Hamdallah said, adding that the PA has been in touch with donor countries to urge them to support UNRWA in the provision of vital services to Palestinian refugees, Maan News Agency quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA) as reporting.

The PM did not provide further details about how the financial crisis will be brought to an end.

In recent months, the agency has been struggling to secure donor funding, forcing it to scale back on its core services, including education, in addition to its emergency relief programs.

Last month, UNRWA said that unless funding was secured by the middle of August to cover a $101 million deficit, “the financial crisis may force the suspension of services relating to the Agency’s education program.”

The news has outraged the nearly three million registered Palestinian refugees living in 27 refugee camps throughout the Gaza Strip and West Bank that depend on the agency to meet their basic needs. (T/Imt/RO6)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)