The Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Dr. Yousef A. Al-Othaimeen, affirmed the continuation of work and partnership with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in order to mobilize the political and financial support necessary to enable it to continue providing its vital services to the Palestinian refugees, in line with the resolutions of the Islamic Summit and the Council of Foreign Ministers in this regard
Jeddah (Pakistan Point News - 18th November, 2020) The Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Dr. Yousef A. Al-Othaimeen, affirmed the continuation of work and partnership with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in order to mobilize the political and financial support necessary to enable it to continue providing its vital services to the Palestinian refugees, in line with the resolutions of the Islamic Summit and the Council of Foreign Ministers in this regard.
During his video call with the Commissioner-General of UNRWA, Mr. Philippe Lazzarini, the Secretary General praised the important role played by UNRWA, referring to the efforts of the OIC General Secretariat to urge Member States to provide more financial assistance to UNRWA. Al-Othaimeen added that the OIC cooperates with the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) and UNRWA, in order to activate the Development Waqf (endowment) Fund to support Palestinian refugees, in a way contributes to supporting the role of UNRWA in serving Palestinian refugees until there is a solution to their case in accordance with the relevant international legitimacy resolutions.
For his part, Mr. Lazzarini expressed his appreciation for the efforts of the Secretary General, Dr. Yousef A. Al-Othaimeen in support of UNRWA, pointing out that UNRWA is keen on enhancing communication and cooperation with the OIC. Lazzarini also praised the support of OIC Member States for UNRWA activities in various fields.
It is worth noting that UNRWA receives the attention of OIC Member States, and that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Chair of the Islamic Summit, had announced a donation of 50 million US dollars to the main budget of UNRWA for the year 2019, while UNRWA confirmed that Saudi Arabia in 2018 became the third largest donor with a donation amounting to 160 million US dollars.
