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AMMAN (JT) - Her Majesty Queen Rania on Thursday commended the efforts of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) at a ceremony commemorating the agency’s 60th anniversary in New York.
“UNRWA’s presence reminds the Palestinian people that they are not alone; that in their darkest hours, an international aid agency stands by their side,” she said.
During the event, held in the United Nations Building, Queen Rania joined UN Deputy Secretary General Asha-Rose Migiro and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in the unveiling of the UNRWA@60 banner.
As the event highlighted challenges facing Palestinians and the continuous plight of the refugees, Her Majesty remarked: “You know, this is one event I wish I wasn’t at. I wish there was no need for UNRWA. I wish there was no anniversary to mark and I wish that there were not 4.6 million Palestinian refugees in need of humanitarian aid. But you and I know the reality is very different.”
“Theirs is a life interrupted, a life half-lived,” she added.
Her Majesty also pointed out that for 60 years UNRWA has contributed to alleviating a painful and protracted reality “not just by providing shelter, but sanctuary. Not just food, but nourishment. Not just healthcare, but compassion. And not just immediate needs, but the tools for long-term empowerment: Primarily, education”.
Queen Rania also expressed her deep gratitude to the agency staff, describing them as “people who have, and continue to endure indescribable hardship and danger, and risk their lives to help Palestinian refugees every day”.
In addition, she paid tribute to “those who lost their lives courageously helping others”.
Queen Rania also highlighted UNRWA’s difficult financial situation and urged all donor delegations to honour their pledges of funding.
“If we let UNRWA collapse, it will be the youngest that bear the greatest weight. If we let UNRWA collapse, we risk fuelling frustration, losing focus for peace talks and destabilising our region further. There is so much at stake. All of us depend on UNRWA.”
Despite pledges of almost $4.7 billion made for the reconstruction of Gaza, Her Majesty described the situation on the ground as “Hell. On. Earth,” warning that over 3,500 homes still have not been rebuilt and that a “ban on the entry of building materials means reconstruction has not even started”.
The Queen concluded by underscoring the vital importance of the agency’s services for 4.6 million people, asserting that for them: “UNRWA is not a choice or an option; it is not a whim or a luxury. UNRWA is a way of life; it is a way of living.”
At Thursday’s ceremony, held on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, UNRWA Commissioner General Karen AbuZayd noted that the Palestinians make up the world’s largest refugee group, and their plight has gone on longer than any other.
She urged the international community “to furnish the levels of financial and political support UNRWA requires to serve the Palestinian refugees better,” the Associated Press (AP) reported.
UNRWA is faced by a serious deficit “that threatens its ability to continue delivering services,” she said.
AbuZayd asked for greater efforts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and with that, the plight of the refugees.
“The protracted exile of Palestine refugees and the dire conditions they endure, particularly in the occupied Palestinian territory, cannot be reconciled with state obligations under the UN charter,” AP quoted her as saying.
The agency, which provides food, medical, educational and other assistance to 4.6 million Palestinian refugees in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, was set up in 1949, a year after the creation of Israel.
25 September 2009
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