Head of UN relief agency for Palestinian refugees makes urgent plea for funds
Palestine, Economics, 12/7/2000

The head of the UN relief agency for Palestinian refugees issued on Wednesday an urgent appeal for operating funds to cope with deteriorating social and economic conditions in the occupied territories.

"We are dealing with very large numbers of people who have been disabled," said Peter Hansen, the Commissioner-General of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). "We are dealing with a great deal of destruction to the infrastructure in the area, and at the same time we are facing the question of how can we go on with an organization that is responsible for the welfare and education of the 3.8 million refugees in the area when we don't even know how we are going to make it through this year."

Speaking to reporters at a press briefing in New York, Hansen said he had recently appealed to donors for full funding of UNRWA's "very modest and meager budget" of $311 million for next year. "We received pledges worth $38 million, which means we have a very long way to go," the Commissioner-General pointed out.

On the positive side, Hansen reported that the Agency's appeal for $39.8 million in emergency funding to deal with the latest crisis had largely been met, demonstrating donor readiness to respond to breaking developments. "As usual, it has turned out to be easier to finance short-term emergencies than it is to finance the basic work that we have been mandated by the international community to do," he observed. He also noted that the refugee population was increasing by 5 per cent every year, and stressed that resources must keep pace with growing demands.

On the current conditions in the West Bank and Gaza, Hansen said the Palestinians there were in "very bad shape" because their freedom of movement had been completely limited. "Many people have been deprived of their work opportunities in Israel or elsewhere within the territories, and basically whatever meager savings people had has now run out," he said.

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