JERUSALEM, August 24, 2015
(WAFA) – UNRWA’s Commissioner General, Pierre Krähenbühl, cancelled a decision
which allows him to put a number of UNRWA personnel on unpaid leave up to one year, said an
UNRWA press release.
UNRWA spokesman Sami Mshasha
said the previous decision, which was taken a few weeks earlier, came in light
of the severe financial hardship that UNRWA has been going through, and the
purpose of such decision was to prevent the termination of UNRWA staff’s work contracts
at times of financial crisis.
In response, tens of UNRWA employees
and students took to the streets in the last few weeks to protest the possible
cuts to refugees’ services and the delay which would “undermine students’ right
to education”. However, over a million Palestinian students, including some
half a million studying in UNRWA-run schools, Monday began the school year 2015
– 2016.
Krähenbühl, in a statement
published on UNRWA’s website last Wednesday, said the Agency recently took
significant internal measures to reduce costs and engaged partners and host
countries to overcome the major funding crisis.
He noted that $78.9 million out
of an overall deficit of $101 million was so far secured through funding from
Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.
“While some significant work
therefore remains, I consider that we have achieved our first objective and can
open the schools,” Krähenbühl added.
Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and UAE
contributions covered almost half of the 2015 deficit, while the USA,
Switzerland, the UK, Norway, Sweden and the Slovak Republic helped address the
funding shortfall with their donations.
Krähenbühl stressed that UNRWA
is currently in pursuit of the second crucial objective which is to place UNRWA
on a more stable financial footing for the future.
He explained, “UNRWA will work
actively in the coming months to take further internal measures to that effect.
We will also actively engage and seek the support of hosts, member states and
other donors for our internal measures and to achieve the goal of better
protecting our human development activities, in particular our health and
education services.”
On July 26, UNRWA warned that unless
the deficit of $101 million was fully funded before the school year is due to
start, it would mull delaying the start of the school year in some 700 schools
for half a million students across the Middle East.
Prior to that, UNRWA also declared it was forced to suspend its cash
assistance program in Gaza to tens of thousands of people for repairs to
damaged and destroyed homes and for rental subsidies to the homeless, due to
its financial hardship.
According to UN officials, UNRWA
has in recent months seen its severest financial crisis in over 65 years due to
a widening gap between the needs of the agency and support from donor nations.
M.N/M.H
