JERUSALEM, September 10, 2015 (WAFA)
- The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, through the Saudi Fund for Development
(SFD), has pledged $7.6 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency
(UNRWA) for a series of works in Jordan to upgrade and equip health centres and
schools for Palestine refugees throughout the country, as part of an overall
package of $35 million for the Agency.
SFD
Vice-Chairman and Managing Director H.E. Eng. Yousef al-Bassam, who authorized
the grant, said, 'Jordan has been host to Palestine refugees since the
Nakba, with over 2 million Palestine refugees registered with UNRWA living in
the country. By providing the Agency with this $7.6 million pledge, the Kingdom
of Saudi Arabia pays tribute to Jordan and its people, who continue to provide
Palestine refugees with a safe and secure place where they can lead fulfilling
lives for themselves and their children.'
The
contribution will be used for the comprehensive refurbishment of 10 UNRWA
health centres that serve 116,000 Palestine refugees.
The cash
will also provide new medical equipment for the health centres.
The project
component for the schools will benefit 10,000 children through the maintenance
and structural upgrading of five UNRWA-owned schools, the construction of seven
additional classrooms to ease overcrowding, and the provision of new textbooks
and IT equipment.
These
improvements will ensure that Palestine refugee children have a safe and secure
learning environment where they can obtain the highest educational outcomes
possible.
UNRWA
Commissioner-General Pierre Krähenbühl welcomed the news, saying, 'We are
deeply grateful for the generous donation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to
UNRWA, which will allow the Agency to improve health and education services
for Palestine refugees in Jordan.
He added,
'Saudi Arabia plays a key role in ensuring that UNRWA can meet the core
humanitarian development and emergency needs of the growing Palestine refugee
population in an increasingly unstable region.'
'I also would like to express
sincere gratitude for the longstanding support provided by the Hashemite
Kingdom of Jordan, which hosts nearly half of the 5 million Palestine refugees
registered with the Agency,' Krähenbühl concluded.
In May this
year, UNRWA signed agreements with the Saudi Fund for Development worth $111.5
million, bringing total SFD donations to UNRWA to $146.5 million so far in
2015.
M.H
