UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 15 (Xinhua) -- The Fourth Committee of the United Nations General Assembly on Friday voted to extend the mandate of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) until 2023.
Some 170 countries voted in favor, and seven countries, including Guatemala and Canada, abstained. The United States and Israel were the only two countries that opposed the resolution.
The resolution stated that the UN is "expressing grave concern at the especially difficult situation of the Palestine refugees under occupation, including with regard to their safety, well-being and socioeconomic living conditions."
Permanent Observer of Palestine to the UN Riyad Mansour hailed the resolution, noting it was a "historical day."
He also expressed his gratitude to countries that voted in favor of extending the mandate, noting that UNRWA is one of the successful stories of the UN.
UNRWA, which currently helps more than 5 million Palestine refugees and their descendants in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria as well as West Bank and Gaza, 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.
