3 December 2014 – Statement by Ambassador Ms. Feda Abdelhady-Nasser before the Ad Hoc Committee of the General Assembly for the Announcement of Voluntary Contributions to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)

Mr. President,

On behalf of the delegation of the State of Palestine, I wish to begin by thanking the Deputy Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), Ms. Margot Ellis, for her participation in today’s meeting and her briefing on the work of UNRWA over the past year.

 

The updates she has given on the Agency’s financial shortfalls and the instability of its operational environment as well as growing needs of the Palestine refugees due to the deterioration of conditions in all fields of operation attest to the ongoing need for strong donor support of UNRWA. At the same time, the many accomplishments of UNRWA in this past year despite these challenges attest to the very real impact of its humanitarian mission in the lives of more than 5 million Palestine refugees and the important role played by the donor community and the Host Countries in supporting UNRWA’s mission.  We reiterate our gratitude for this principled support for UNRWA’s mandate and for the longstanding compassion for the Palestine refugees, both of which have been clearly reaffirmed today.

 

Mr. President,

 

Today, Palestine joins the international community in congratulating UNRWA on the 65th anniversary of the adoption by the General Assembly of resolution 302 (IV), by which the Agency was established.  While deeply regretting the continued need for the Agency – namely the absence of a just solution for the plight of the Palestine refugees on the basis of resolution 194 (III) – we nevertheless recognize the indispensable role of UNRWA in helping to sustain the Palestine refugees, despite their exile and dispossession and through crises and conflicts that have inflicted on them repeated displacement and immense suffering.

 

As comprehensively described by the Deputy Commissioner-General, this year, we were again starkly reminded of the extreme vulnerability of the Palestine refugees as we bore witness to the massive human and physical devastation of Israel’s military aggression that tore apart refugee lives and refugee camps in the Gaza Strip and caused destruction to UNRWA schools and facilities, as well as the deepening misery and fragmentation of the Palestine refugee community in Syria due to the grave conflict there and the spillover into Lebanon and Jordan and the serious affect on the refugee communities there.  We were also reminded of the critical need for UNRWA and bore witness to the unflagging dedication of UNRWA staff to assist all those in need, even at great risk to their own lives, and we again solemnly pay tribute to the women and men of UNRWA’s staff who were tragically killed this year and reiterate our condolences to their bereaved families as well as to the Agency and their colleagues.

 

On this 65th anniversary, we recognize the many contributions of UNRWA and the continuing importance of and need for its work.  Since UNRWA began operations in 1950, it has helped to alleviate Palestine refugees’ hardships and has provided them with protection, allaying the painful impact of successive conflicts and upheaval in their lives.  Through its programs and services, UNRWA has also promoted the well-being and human development of the Palestine refugees, enabling them to gain education and skills, lead healthy lives and persevere under the harsh conditions of exile, occupation and blockade.  Moreover, the Agency – established by the international community in response to the 1948 Nakba and the expulsion of the majority of the Palestinian population from their homeland and as an expression of the international responsibility towards the crisis – has rightly advocated for respect of the rights of the Palestine refugees, in accordance with international law, pending a just solution and the fulfillment of their rights, including to return and compensation. Also, as acknowledged by the Assembly, UNRWA’s presence and efforts in all fields of operation in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and Occupied Palestine have long constituted a stabilizing factor in the region.

 

We thus reaffirm our gratitude and appreciation to UNRWA Commissioner-General Pierre Krähenbühl and Deputy Commissioner-General Margot Ellis for their commitment and leadership and, through them, express appreciation to the Agency’s entire staff – international and national – for their exemplary service. Your mission is worthy of pride and commendation.

 

We recognize the tremendous humanitarian efforts of UNRWA staff in every field of operation in difficult and volatile circumstances.  Yet we also recognize the little victories achieved each day in UNRWA schools, where a half million children are learning, playing and growing despite so much loss and suffering and the many stories of human courage, resilience and sisterhood and brotherhood among the Palestine refugee community supported by UNRWA.

 

In this regard, we commend the Agency for its public outreach, including through its website and social media, sharing information about its humanitarian and protection mission as well as these inspiring stories that renew our hopes for a better and more just future for the Palestine refugees.  We thank the many donors supporting these efforts and the special programmes and initiatives of UNRWA that make such a difference in the lives of the refugees, especially children, and help to raise awareness of their plight, strengthen solidarity, and connect them with the rest of the world, highlighting our shared humanity.

 

Mr. President,

 

Of course, UNRWA’s mission would not be possible without the collective, principled assistance of the international donor community and the Host Countries.  We are grateful for the generous contributions to the Agency from governments, inter-governmental organizations, institutions and private citizens from all over the globe.

 

We deeply appreciate the pledges made today and express gratitude to the major, traditional donors to UNRWA as well as to new donors.  We further recognize all contributions, both financial and in-kind, specifically made in the past year in response to the emergency appeal for the humanitarian crisis in Occupied Palestine, particularly in the Gaza Strip, where the situation has been classified as a humanitarian disaster and remains so as winter has arrived and reconstruction remains stalled, as well as in support of the emergency appeals for Syria and Lebanon, where Palestine refugee needs continue to grow.  We recognize the importance of each and every contribution in alleviating the Agency’s funding deficit and allowing the continuation of its vital humanitarian work.

 

At the same time, we continue to appeal for support for UNRWA’s General Fund to enable it to pay the salaries of the thousands of doctors, nurses, teachers, social workers and other personnel that are directly assisting the refugees every single day.  We welcome the increased contributions by our Arab brethren to UNRWA in line with the commitment made last year.  We also welcome new contributions and hope that they can be transformed into regular contributions, stressing the need for predictable funding for stability and continuity of Agency operations. Here, we commend and further encourage the Agency’s efforts to widen and diversify its donor base, stressing the importance of building and strengthening partnerships.

 

In this connection, we reaffirm our gratitude for the important role played by all of the Members and Observers of the Advisory Commission of UNRWA and the Working Group on the Financing of UNRWA in providing support to the Agency for over six decades.  Moreover, we reaffirm our deep appreciation to the Host Countries of Jordan, Lebanon and the Syrian Arab Republic for their cooperation and crucial support to UNRWA’s mission and to the Palestine refugees.

 

Mr. President,

 

While reaffirming our profound gratitude for the support expressed – in both statements and pledges – for UNRWA and for the Palestine refugees, we reiterate our appeals to the international community to intensify the efforts to achieve a just, lasting, comprehensive and peaceful settlement of the question of Palestine, including a just solution for the Palestine refugees, based on international law and the relevant UN resolutions.  As stated by the Commissioner-General, humanitarian action alone cannot suffice and resolute political action is essential for providing desperately-needed hope and a way forward.

 

Fully committed to peace, we are ready to work with all concerned partners to create a credible political horizon at this critical juncture, and we urge the international community to uphold its political, legal and moral responsibilities and mobilize the necessary will in support of a peaceful solution and the realization of the long-denied rights of the Palestinian people, reiterating our deepest hopes that this tragedy will soon end and our people’s aspirations for justice, freedom, peace and dignity will soon be fulfilled.

 

Mr. President,

 

In closing, as Ms. Ellis will soon be leaving her post as Deputy Commissioner-General, I wish to reiterate our deep appreciation for her tireless efforts during the four years of her tenure.  Throughout this period, Ms. Ellis has used her extensive experience in international development and humanitarian work to provide operational leadership that has helped UNRWA to maximize its resources and capacities to provide essential assistance to refugees in need.  Ms. Ellis, we sincerely thank you for your commendable service with the Agency and wish you all the best in the future.

 

I thank you, Mr. President, and thank all who have expressed solidarity with the Palestine refugees and with UNRWA today.