UNITED NATIONS- UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, will travel to Rome, for a conference, in support of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, said his spokesman, Stephane Dujarric.
The conference, on Thursday (tomorrow) is intended to support a collective international response, to the agency’s funding deficit of nearly half a billion U.S. dollars, as a result of U.S. President, Donald Trump’s sudden steep cut in his country’s contribution.
The UN agency, officially known as the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), is a relief and human development aid body for Palestinian refugees and their descendants. It currently helps about 5.3 million people in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, as well as, the West Bank and Gaza.
UN Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mark Lowcock, is releasing 30 million dollars from the Central Emergency Response Fund, to urgently support Palestine refugees through UNRWA, said the UN spokesman.
An exceptional grant of 15 million dollars will enable UNRWA to avoid disruption of life-saving food assistance, to vulnerable refugees in the occupied Palestinian territory, where over 2.5 million people are currently in dire need of humanitarian assistance, he said.
While in Rome, Guterres will co-chair a ministerial meeting, of the International Support Group for Lebanon. He will emphasise the importance of supporting the people and state institutions of Lebanon, said Dujarric.
Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK
