Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Saturday, Jul 12, 2025

UN agency for Palestinians needs $50-80m to ‘keep running’

UN agency for Palestinians needs $50-80m to ‘keep running’

UNRWA needs a capital investment of $200m in the next three years to help restore depleted assets.
The head of the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees said on Monday that the agency’s “assets have become obsolete”, and that it needs $50-80m to keep services running until the end of the year.

Speaking from Amman, UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said the agency has experienced “years of austerity” and needs a capital investment of $200m in the next three years to help restore depleted assets.

UNRWA was established to provide education, healthcare, food and other services to more than 700,000 Palestinians who were forcibly expelled from their homeland by Zionist militias in 1948 – the year the state of Israel was established.

The UN’s oldest agency works across the occupied West Bank, Gaza, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria, providing vital services like schooling and medical help to Palestinian refugees.

There are now 5.7 million Palestinian refugees, including their children and grandchildren, but Lazzarini said UNRWA only helps the 550,000 in school and 2.8 million who have health benefits.

Because of the high poverty rates, the services that the agency provides are critical for the people who benefit from them, Lazzarini said at a news conference in the Jordanian capital, Amman.

“Our assessment over the last few months is that in places like Lebanon, like Syria, like Gaza, we have poverty rates up to 80 percent, to 90 percent, which means that the entire community relies on the lifeline UNRWA can provide to them,” he added.


Lazzarini told reporters that the US has been the biggest single donor to the agency this year, with a contribution of more than $340m.

He said the funding the UN agency gets has been affected by the fighting in Ukraine.

Youmna El Sayed, Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Gaza, said a demonstration was being held by the Refugee Popular Committee in front of the UNRWA headquarters on Monday in Gaza City. People were protesting against the negligence of the international community in their plight.

The protesters demand sustainable funding from the UN so that UNRWA is not dependent on donor countries and funding projects. They also called for more job opportunities that had significantly declined since 2007, along with other services, such as food coupons and humanitarian aid, the Al Jazeera correspondent said.

El Sayed added that there were 1.3 million refugees in Gaza living under the poverty line who required immediate relief and increased job opportunities until UN resolution 194 is applied, which revolves around the right of refugees to return to their homeland in present-day Israel.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Christopher Gunness, former UNRWA spokesman, said a group of experts and refugees had recently come up with solutions to the issues faced by the UN agency.

Gunness said that the group is calling for “durable solutions”, which included local integration of the refugees into the communities where they were present, keeping intact their full social, economic and political rights.

Another aspect of the durable solution revolved around third-country integration for the refugees.

The refugees should have the right to go to other countries and become a part of their host communities, Gunness said.

The third durable solution called for refugees to have the right of return.

“Israel has perpetuated the refugee crisis by continuously denying the Palestinians the right of return in violation of the international law and of their obligations,” Gunness said.

“Palestinians are individuals with dignity and destinies that must be respected.

“There will be continued conflict in the Middle East unless the 6 million refugees are brought out of their exile, disposition and their statelessness.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
Mediators Edge Closer to Israel-Hamas Ceasefire Agreement
Emirates Airline Expands Market Share with New $20 Million Campaign
House Oversight Committee Subpoenas Former Jill Biden Aide Amid Investigation into Alleged Concealment of President Biden's Cognitive Health
Amazon Reaches Major Automation Milestone with Over One Million Robots
Meta Announces Formation of Ambitious AI Unit, Meta Superintelligence Labs
China Unveils Miniature Insect-Like Surveillance Drone
Marc Marquez Claims Victory at Dutch Grand Prix Amidst Family Misfortune
Iran Executes Alleged Israeli Spies and Arrests Hundreds Amid Post-War Crackdown
Trump Asserts Readiness for Further Strikes on Iran Amid Nuclear Tensions
Iran's Parliament Votes to Suspend Cooperation with Nuclear Watchdog
Trump Announces Upcoming US-Iran Meeting Amid Controversial Airstrikes
Trump Moves to Reshape Middle East Following Israel-Iran Conflict
NATO Leaders Endorse Plan for Increased Defence Spending
U.S. Crude Oil Prices Drop Below $65 Amid Market Volatility
Explosions Rock Doha as Iranian Missiles Target Qatar
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Oman Set to Introduce Personal Income Tax, First in Gulf
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Iran Intensifies Crackdown on Alleged Mossad Operatives After Sabotage Claims
Trump Praises Iran’s ‘Very Weak’ Response After U.S. Strikes and Presses Israel to Pursue Peace
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
G7 Leaders Fail to Reach Consensus on Key Global Issues
Mass exodus in Tehran as millions try to flee following Trump’s evacuation order
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
Energy Infrastructure Becomes War Zone in Middle East
Iran Conducts Ballistic Missile Launches Amid Heightened Tensions with Israel
Iran Signals Openness to Nuclear Negotiations Amid Ongoing Regional Tensions
×