UNITED NATIONS, June 25 (Xinhua) -- Head of the UN relief agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA), Pierre Krahenbuhl, said Tuesday that he was encouraged by the pledges made at a fundraising conference.
More than 110 million U.S. dollars has been pledged for UNRWA at the conference in New York and in the immediate run-up to the event, Krahenbuhl, the UNRWA commissioner-general, told reporters.
"We had numerous interventions from the floor, from all regions of the planet. And the strong statements of support were not only about the trust placed in UNRWA -- how we manage our operations and how we run the organization -- but in particular also for the human dignity that we provide and regional stability that we contribute to."
Krahenbuhl said he has received clear indications from several other countries that they will come forward in coming days and weeks with additional funds.
He expected Gulf countries, which did not make particular pledges at Tuesday's conference, to make separate announcements shortly.
"We have from Gulf countries clear indications, very strong messages of political support, very strong engagement from all of the Gulf countries that spoke today in the room, and an indication that they are actively considering further support to UNRWA."
Sometimes member states will decide to pledge at a given event. Sometimes they will make announcements on their own terms. And this is absolutely standard practice, said Krahenbuhl. "But I am very confident and very encouraged by the strong signals we receive from Gulf countries, and I'm sure they will have announcements quite shortly -- from some of them."
He also asked for early disbursements of the funds pledged on Tuesday in order to avoid a "summer crisis," in particular in relation to UNRWA food assistance in Gaza, as well as the opening of the new school year on time for half a million boys and girls.
The UN agency, officially known as the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, is a relief and human development aid body for Palestine refugees and their descendants. It currently helps 5.4 million people in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria as well as West Bank and Gaza.
The agency was confronted with its most severe funding crisis in 2018 after the United States, traditionally the largest donor, suddenly cut its funding before it completely stopped its support.
UNRWA has maintained its operations through nearly half of 2019. By the end of June, however, it will face its first funding shortfall, said the agency.
