New York: Qatar has reaffirmed that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) plays a pivotal and indispensable role, serving as the backbone of humanitarian aid in Gaza, praising the tremendous efforts of UNRWA staff, led by Commissioner-General of UNRWA H E Philippe Lazzarini.
This came in Qatar’s speech delivered by Permanent Representative of Qatar to the United Nations, H E Sheikha Alya Ahmed bin Saif Al Thani, at the meeting of the Ad Hoc Committee of the General Assembly for the Announcement of Voluntary Contributions to UNRWA, held at the UN headquarters in New York.
She said this year’s pledging conference comes under exceptional circumstances that are added on top of UNRWA’s chronic lack of funding, pointing out that the unprecedented humanitarian disaster caused by the ongoing Israeli war on the Gaza Strip necessitates a massive humanitarian response.
She also reiterated the welcoming of the findings of the independent review group, which invalidated allegations against UNRWA, and expressed gratitude to countries that have resumed or increased their financial contributions to the Agency. She highlighted Qatar’s additional financial contribution of $25m in May to support UNRWA’s core resources for 2024, on top of the $18m it provided in December 2023 for the same purpose.
The Permanent Representative affirmed that Qatar will continue to coordinate with the UNRWA Commissioner-General at various levels in the current period to ensure the continuation of efforts aimed at alleviating the suffering of the brotherly Palestinian people, noting that this is in addition to the various forms of humanitarian, financial and in-kind support provided by Qatar to the brotherly Palestinian people in line with its firm policy of solidarity with them.
The Permanent Representative also took part in a media stand following the UNRWA Pledging Conference, at the UN headquarters in New York.
The group expressed its solidarity and full support for UNRWA’s work, highlighting its indispensable role as the backbone in providing humanitarian aid to civilians in the Gaza Strip.
