New York, Jun 21 2011 4:10PM
The head of the United Nations entity tasked with assisting millions of Palestinian refugees said today that the agency faced a projected deficit of $63 million this year and urged donors in the region, whom he said have been generous in the past, to increase their assistance.
Filippo Grandi, the Commissioner General of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) said the share of donations from Arab countries to the agency's core budget rose 3 per cent last year.
"We really need a much bigger increase," <"http://www.unrwa.org/etemplate.php?id=1023">said Mr. Grandi during UNRWA's Advisory Commission meeting.
He also pointed out that the stalled peace process between the Palestinian Authority and the Israelis was increasing the threat to the region's stability.
Mr. Grandi urged "political actors to take the bold steps necessary to embrace urgently a framework to end the conflict leading to the establishment of a viable Palestinian State, thriving in peace and mutual security with its neighbours and to a just and lasting solution to the refugee question.
"As the refugees emerged from – and exist as a consequence of – the 1948 conflict, addressing their plight, with their engagement and consent, is a prerequisite for a resolution of the conflict," he said.
Jun 21 2011 4:10PM
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