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UK pledges $20.7m in additional aid to UNRWA

November 6, 2020 at 12:26 am

Palestinians receive food aid distributed by United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in Gaza City, Gaza on September 29, 2020 [Ali Jadallah/Anadolu Agency]

The UK has announced an additional $20.7 million in funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), bringing the total UK support for the agency this year to $66 million.

The British Consulate General in Jerusalem announced in a statement on Thursday that the British support package will contribute to providing education to more than 533,000 children, half of whom are girls, and providing healthcare services to around 3.5 million Palestinian refugees across the Middle East.

“It will also provide emergency food supplies to more than one million refugees in Gaza,” according to the statement.

The statement noted that UNRWA provides protection and support to Palestinian refugees throughout the region, so $7.8 million of the declared total amount ($20.7 million) will be allocated to help save the lives of 438,000 Palestinian refugees in Syria.

The statement explained that the UK is one of UNRWA’s largest donors, and will continue to support and assist the agency with its mandate until a just, fair and realistic settlement is found for the Palestinian refugees.

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