Kuwait donates $15m to support UNRWA's work with Palestinian refugees

Kuwait has donated US$15 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for its work with Palestinian refugees across the Middle East, UNRWA said in a statement on Sunday.

The donation was announced at a ceremony in Geneva on 11 June, with the funds being passed to UNRWA by the Permanent Representative of the State of Kuwait to the UN, Mansour Al-Otaibi, at a ceremony held in New York today.

UNRWA Commissioner-General Pierre Krähenbühl said: “This welcome donation comes at a crucial time for UNRWA as developments in the region dramatically increase the needs of our refugees, many of whom are caught up in the civil war in Syria and who are living under blockade and occupation in Gaza and the West Bank.”

“There are unprecedented pressures on our resources and I thank the Emir and people of Kuwait for this timely donation,” he added.

In recent years Kuwait has been a consistent donor to UNRWA. In 2013 the Gulf state gave $29 million to the organisation, $12 million of which came through the Islamic Development Bank.

Last year Kuwait provided $17 million to UNRWA.

“It must not be forgotten that in addition to this support, Kuwait also graciously hosted the donor conference for Syria earlier this year which saw hundreds of million pledged and which are making a real difference in the lives of some of the most disadvantaged communities in the Middle East caught in a rising tide of militancy and conflict,” said Krähenbühl.