GAZA, June 23 (Xinhua) -- A senior Palestinian official called on the international donors' conference, which convenes in New York later on Tuesday, to increase its financial aid to the United Nations Relief and Work Agency (UNRWA) for Palestinian refugees.
Ahmad Abu Holi, chairman of the refugees' affairs in Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), told Voice of Palestine radio that the UNRWA has suffered from a serious financial crisis due to a lack of international funds.
"All indications show that the agency will not be able to pay salaries for its employees next month," he said.
He made his remarks to stress the importance of holding the conference that will be held in New York later on Tuesday with the participation of around 70 countries from all over the world.
Abu Holi, a member of the PLO Executive Committee, called on the conference "to reject the American and Israeli pressure to reduce the financial aid to the UNRWA."
He unveiled that the PLO has been holding contacts with 25 donor countries, which hasn't paid any donations to the UNRWA this year.
He added that another 15 countries have reduced their donations this year, which donated 159 million U.S. dollars in 2019.
The UNRWA has demanded a budget for the current year of 1.4 billion U.S. dollars, but it has so far received only 416 million dollars, which threatens negative impacts on the programs of the humanitarian agency.
According to UNRWA officials, the agency faces the "most serious financial crisis" since it had been established in 1949, due to the severe shortage of donations.
The crisis began when United States President Donald Trump decided to cut 360 million U.S. dollars from the agency in early 2018, which represented 30 percent of UNRWA's budget. Enditem
