UNRWA’s official spokesman Sami Msha’sha’ on Thursday announced following the emergency summit held in Rome that pledges of $100 million have been gathered to meet the $446-million financial deficit suffered by UNRWA.
UNRWA Commissioner General Pierre Krähenbühl in statements after the conference ended vowed to provide strong political support for UNRWA and its crucial services to Palestinian refugees.
Msha’sha’ affirmed that Rome conference which was attended by senior officials from over 70 countries as well as a number of international organizations showed international commitment toward supporting UNRWA and helping Palestinian refugees.
The conference witnessed the participation of the UN Secretary General António Guterres High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini the Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah and foreign ministers of Jordan Sweden and Egypt as well as representatives from 75 countries.
António Guterres praised UNRWA’s indispensable role in the world and called for supporting and protecting the UN Agency.
UNRWA is going through a major financial crisis that threatens its operations after the US has cut about $300 million of its funds to the Agency.
