Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has called for long-term funding to continue its work.
A long-term lack of funding for the agency now represents an “existential” threat, Lazzarini has warned.
As of now, more than 5 million Palestinians have registered with UNRWA as refugees in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan.
Lazzarini said about the lack of long-term funding: “Today, austerity has reached its limit and is impacting the quality of our services.”
He also noted that his agency could no longer increase the number of refugees that it supports despite “rampant” poverty.
He added that “austerity reaches its limit when we put 50 children in a classroom or leave the most deprived children without transportation or stationery.”
Another example of this, he said is “when a doctor can only spend three minutes with a patient.”
A third example he gave talked of when “many teachers and sanitation laborers are daily paid workers.”
He explained: “These are frontline staff and it really pains me that UNRWA cannot yet give them more stable jobs.”
In an open letter to Palestine refugees, Lazzarini wrote that he was “painfully aware” that further uncertainty about UNRWA’s “dire” financial situation added another layer of distress to their lives.
“When everything around you falls apart, being able to send your children to school, receive health care and be part of a social safety net are a lifeline,” he added.
Lazzarini acknowledged that stagnating donor funding for close to a decade remained below the amount needed to provide quality services.
At the same time, as the refugee population continued to grow, poverty and vulnerabilities skyrocketed.
To promote long-term funding security, Lazzarini said the agency planned to expand its donor base, increase digital fundraising, and look into innovative funding mechanisms to ensure that Palestine refugees have continued access to all services.
