UNITED NATIONS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st November, 2019) The international community should swiftly provide support to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) amid a record low cash flow that the agency is facing, United Nations Special Coordinator for the middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov said on Wednesday.
"We have been regularly updating the Council and its members on the financial challenges UNRWA continues to face. Cash flow is reaching a record low," Mladenov told the UN Security Council. "Given the stakes, I urge the swift mobilization of support to enable the agency to sustain its operations."
UNRWA had faced a severe funding crisis since last year, when the United States, previously its largest single donor, said it would halt annual contributions of around $360 million.
In June, UNRWA's former Commissioner-General Pierre Krahenbuhl warned that the agency may suspend a number of humanitarian operations because of the financial gap it is experiencing.
