GAZA, (Pakistan Point News - 16th Aug, 2018) At an extraordinary session of the UNRWA Advisory Commission, in Amman today, the Commissioner-General Pierre Krahenbuhl announced that the school-year for 526,000 Palestinian refugee girls and boys will open on time in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Gaza, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.
Krahenbuhl emphasised that students and teachers will be returning to the 711 schools on time "because it is crucial to protect the fundamental right to education for Palestine's refugee girls and boys and the community’s unwavering attachment to learning and the development of skills". He added that schools will open, taking into account the fact that host countries have repeatedly drawn attention to the serious risks to regional stability, if this were not the case.
The Commissioner-General also underlined the ongoing severe risks facing the Agency, saying, "While announcing today the opening of the school year, I wish to be clear that UNRWA is by no stretch of the imagination out of the woods. Since January 2018, UNRWA has mobilised US$238 million of additional funding, which is very encouraging. However, we currently only have funding to run the Agency’s services until the end of September. We need a further US$217 million to ensure that our schools not only open but can be run until the end of the year. This requires the resolute continuation of the collective mobilisation that has been underway since January."
Krahenbuhl confirmed that UNRWA will for its part take ongoing robust measures to safeguard the financial situation of the agency, focusing on reform initiatives and the identification of efficiencies. Finally, he reaffirmed the agency’s deep commitment to preserving the dignity of Palestine Refugees, its services and its important mandate.
