http://www.unrwa.org/etemplate.php?id=1698
4 April 2013
Gaza
Demonstrators
today stormed the compound of the UNRWA Gaza Field Office in response
to a programme cut necessitated by budget shortfalls. The incident is a
dramatic and disturbing escalation in a series of demonstrations that
have taken place over the past week.
"We
fully understand the impact the decision to suspend cash assistance had
on some of our beneficiaries. The Agency was able instead to introduce
and expand its Job Creation Programme to mitigate the effects of the
reduction in cash distribution to the poorest refugee families in Gaza,”
stated Director of UNRWA Operations in Gaza Robert Turner. He added
that the Agency’s large-scale food distribution programme, that has an
increasing caseload of over 800,000, will continue unchanged.
Commenting
on today’s escalation and demonstrators breaking into UNRWA’s compound,
the Gaza Director stressed that the Agency “respect people's right to
peaceful demonstration but what happened today was completely
unacceptable: the situation could very easily have resulted in serious
injuries to UNRWA staff and to the demonstrators. This escalation,
apparently pre-planned, was unwarranted and unprecedented". "These
demonstrations affect our ability to provide much needed service to the
Palestine refugees in Gaza and—because they also targeted the Gaza
headquarters building—our operations in the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon
and Syria."
Demonstrations
during the past week had already forced UNRWA to close many of its
facilities. With the situation further compounded by today's actions,
all relief and distribution centers will consequently remain closed
until guarantees are given by all relevant groups that UNRWA operations
can continue unhindered. "This is a very regrettable situation for us to
be in, as food distributions right now are taking place for some 25,000
refugees every day. But we cannot tolerate these ongoing threats to our
staff: their safety is of crucial concern at the moment," added Turner.
"Any other affected installations will also remain closed."
UNRWA
calls on all the groups behind today's event to immediately stop
inciting crowds at these demonstrations and to conduct themselves in a
responsible manner. The Agency also calls on the authorities to play
their role in providing security and ensuring demonstrations remain
peaceful, and encourages donors to continue to fund UNRWA's vital relief
programmes.
** ENDS **
Background information:
UNRWA
is a United Nations agency established by the General Assembly in 1949
and is mandated to provide assistance and protection to a population of
some 5 million registered Palestine refugees. Its mission is to help
Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, West Bank and the Gaza
Strip to achieve their full potential in human development, pending a
just solution to their plight. UNRWA’s services encompass education,
health care, relief and social services, camp infrastructure and
improvement, and microfinance.
Financial
support to UNRWA has not kept pace with an increased demand for
services caused by growing numbers of registered refugees, expanding
need, and deepening poverty. As a result, the Agency's General Fund
(GF), supporting UNRWA’s core activities and 97 per cent reliant on
voluntary contributions, has begun each year with a large projected
deficit. Currently the deficit stands at US$ 67.2 million.
For more information, please contact :
|
Christopher Gunness
UNRWA Spokesperson
Mobile: +972 (0)54 240 2659
Office: +972 (0)2 589 0267
|
Sami Mshasha
UNRWA Arabic Spokesperson
Mobile: +972 (0)54 216 8295
Office: +972 (0)2 589 0724
|
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