UNRWA's deficit estimated at $ 65 million

UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) commissioner general Peter Hansen has announced that the agency suffers at the meantime a deficit estimated at $ 65 million.

In statements to the press in Amman on Saturday Hansen added he will discuss this deficit with the European council of ministers in Brussels during his visit to the Belgian capital on July 16.

He added that UNRWA at the meantime, seeks to expand the base of the donor states through the past years so as to be able to provide services to the Palestinian refugees in the areas of health, education and social services until the end of the current year in UNRWA's five operation areas in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, the West Bank and Gaza.

Hansen explained that since the launching of the Palestinian Intifada UNRWA announced the implementation of three emergency campaigns in the Palestinian territories at a total cost of USD 200 million in order to reinforce its operations in the areas there as a result of confrontation with the Israeli forces.

Larsen explained that the number of Palestinian refugees registered in UNRWA are 3.8 million, with 1.6 million of them are in Jordan.

He also stressed that UNRWA represents the commitment of the international community to the question of the Palestinian refugees until their case is settled, according to international legitimacy resolutions.