Duran leads Al Nassr past Yokohama Marinos into AFC Champions League Elite semi-finals    Al Ahli cruise past Buriram into AFC Champions League Elite semi-finals    Saudi Arabia offers condolences to Iran following deadly Bandar Abbas port explosion    Saudi Arabia welcomes Palestinian leadership reforms, appointment of Hussein Al-Sheikh    Ministry of Hajj issued over 150,000 Nusuk cards for the Hajj of 2025    Saudi Arabia deports 12,866 illegal residents in a week    Pope Francis laid to rest at historic funeral in Rome    Massive explosion at Iran's Shahid Rajaee Port injures over 500 people    SFDA clears first 44-ton medical shipment for Hajj pilgrims    Over 13 million worshipers pray at Rawdah Sharif in a year    Saudi orchestra to perform at Sydney Opera House in May    Al Hilal thrash Gwangju to reach AFC Champions League Elite semi-finals    Nammos Amala Resort to open soon with Saudi-Greek designs    Saudi Arabia completes 674 Vision 2030 initiatives, achieves 93% of KPIs as ninth-year milestone marked    GACA chief chairs 16th meeting of the Steering Committee on aviation's strategy    Alkhorayef praises advancements in Al-Kharj food industries sector    Saudi Theater Commission launches its Work and Learn Project in UK    The season has begun — and one comment shook us all    Average life expectancy in Saudi Arabia rises to78.8 years    Famed Philippine film star Nora Aunor dies at 71    Pakistani star's Bollywood return excites fans and riles far right    Veteran Bollywood actor Manoj Kumar dies at 87    Bollywood actress vindicated over boyfriend's death after media hounding    Grand Mufti rules against posting prayers and preaching in mosques on social media    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



UN agency for Palestine refugees runs out of money as coronavirus spreads
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 11 - 11 - 2020

The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNWRA) has run out of cash on hand to keep vital services going amid the worsening health emergency, UNRWA spokesperson Tamara Alrifai told a regular UN press briefing in Geneva on Tuesday.
"Despite the immense efforts to raise sufficient funds in 2020 to maintain UNRWA's critical services to 5.7 million Palestinian refugees across the Middle East, as of Nov. 9, UNRWA has run out of money," Alrifai said.
"If we do not have additional funding by the end of this month, November, then we will have to enact really disheartening measures that will affect the salaries of our frontline 28,000 UNRWA staff, in the middle of a global health emergency."
The number of refugees who have contracted COVID-19 has jumped from fewer than 200 in July to nearly 17,000 as of this week, she said. The situation partly reflected the situation in the countries the refugees were in, and numbers had risen across the region.
UNRWA had put measures in place to slow the spread of the virus, including giving medical consultations by phone, delivering humanitarian assistance to avoid overcrowding at distribution centers, and blending school with remote learning. But respect for lockdown measures had increasingly given way to pressure on people to leave home in search of a daily wage.
"This in turn has of course invited the virus into the refugee communities", Alrifai said.
UNRWA was established following the 1948 Arab-Israeli conflict, and has operations in Gaza and the West Bank, but also in Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria, funded almost entirely by contributions from the UN member states.
The agency usually needs $50 million per month to cover staff salaries for services to 5.7 million in need, and now requires $30 million in the next two weeks to ensure it can continue to pay staff salaries, otherwise, it will have to pay partial wages and defer the rest until it had enough funds, Alrifai said.
She added that UNRWA, which plays an important part in stabilizing the region, would be devastated if it could not continue running health centers and schools for more than 500,000 children, but this year it had not received sufficient funds from donors, despite overwhelming political support at the UN General Assembly.
"So, at the center of our crisis is a mismatch between the political support we get from UN member states and the financial contributions."
Tributes have been paid to the veteran Palestinian official and chief negotiator in search of a peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Saeb Erekat.
He died at a hospital in Jerusalem on Tuesday, after being admitted in mid-October, due to complications related to COVID-19.
The Palestinian Authority has declared a three-day period of mourning, with flags to be flown at half-staff, according to news reports.
UN chief António Guterres said he was "deeply saddened", by his passing.
"I am grateful to have known Dr. Erekat and to have called him my friend. He was dedicated to the peaceful pursuit of justice, dignity, and the legitimate rights of Palestinians to self-determination, sovereignty, and statehood.
"Now is the time to continue his crucial work and end the conflict that has tragically affected the lives of so many", the statement continued. "I reiterate my own and the United Nations commitment to support all efforts to bring the parties together to achieve a long-awaited, just and sustainable two-State solution, with Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security."
The UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, Nickolay Mladenov (UNSCO), extended his "deepest condolences" to both Erekat's family and the Palestinian people.
"You remained convinced that Israel and Palestine can live in peace; never gave up on negotiations; and stood proudly for your people! We will miss you, my friend", he added, in a tweet. — UN news


Clic here to read the story from its source.