UN: UNRWA Experiencie Financial Crisis

New York, MINA – The United Nations (UN) has warned that the financial condition of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which helps Palestinian refugees, is currently very critical, and calls on UN member states and international donors to support the agency in a manner financial.

“UNRWA faces a deficit of US $ 115 million, including the US $ 70 million needed to cover November and December salaries for more than 28 thousand employees,” Stefan Dujarric, spokesman for the Secretary General of the United Nations, told reporters as published by Safa on Wednesday.

He warned that UNRWA was in a more dangerous financial situation and we hope that those who have provided assistance to the Agency will continue to do so in greater numbers.

Last week, the Agency’s Commissioner General, Philip Lazzarini, was forced to raise an additional $ 20 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund, and based on available funds, he will decide this weekend, whether UNRWA will start paying a portion of its wages by the end of this month or full delay.

He added that the Commissioner General informed the UNRWA Advisory Board yesterday that the agency is still in dire need of a donation of 70 million US dollars, to avoid painful actions in the coming weeks.

Still according to Lazarini, if the funds for November and December salaries are not guaranteed, the agency will continue to be short of cash to operate in January, according to currently available information about the 2021 contribution.

UNRWA provides its services to some 5.3 million Palestinian refugees and suffering from a choking financial crisis, as the United States, on January 23 last year, froze all its support for the agency, claiming they were dissatisfied with the agency’s work, which it criticized by Israel. (T/RE1)

Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)