EU Contributes €82 Mln to UNRWA for Palestine Refugees

The European Union (EU) contributed €82 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) this week. 

Through this contribution, and in line with the EU-UNRWA Joint Declaration 2021-2024, the EU continues to provide reliable support to enable the Agency to fulfil its mandate, protect and assist Palestine refugees, and play a stabilizing role in the region.

“I am extremely grateful for the European Union’s strong and reliable support to UNRWA and to the millions of Palestine refugees we serve,” UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said.

The long years of blockade and repeated cycles of hostilities in the Gaza Strip, the dramatic escalations of violence in the West Bank, the devastating earthquake in Syria which comes on top of 11 years of conflict, the unprecedented economic crisis in Lebanon and the soaring unemployment in Jordan are taking a heavy toll on Palestine refugees. Most of them rely on UNRWA for their survival.

In his remarks during the signing ceremony, the EU Representative Sven Kühn von Burgsdorff said, "This EUR 82 million package demonstrates once again our long-standing commitment and support to the Agency and its 28,000 staff on the ground in delivering core services across its five fields of operations." 

"We all have a collective responsibility towards Palestine refugees to sustain UNRWA’s work, and we should to this effect, provide predictable and reliable multi-annual funding."

The EU is the third-largest donor to the Agency, having contributed to the Agency’s Programme Budget 97 million euro in 2022. 

The support of the EU has enabled UNRWA to provide essential frontline services to Palestine refugees including in health, education, social services and camp improvements across the five fields of operations. 

In the absence of a political solution to the conflict, the EU has become a key strategic partner for the Agency, supporting its efforts to help Palestine refugees achieve their full human development potential despite unprecedented challenges.