UN Palestine Refugee Agency To Hold Conference In October To Rally Support For Palestine

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 11th June, 2021) The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) is scheduled to hold an international conference this October to rally support for the organization's efforts in Palestine, UNRWA Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini told Sputnik.

"An international conference on UNRWA which is planned and supposed to take place in October this year, which will need to make sure that the political support of the [UN] member states is also fully translated into matching resources for the organization," Lazzarini said.

According to the agency's head, the location of the conference is yet to be set, but it is confirmed that it will be co-hosted by the governments of Jordan and Sweden.

Lazzarini noted that UNRWA would present a blueprint to the participating UN member states on its planned activities for the next year to "promote better predictability of funding."

UNRWA provides human development and humanitarian services, including education, health care, social services, infrastructure and camp improvement, microfinance and emergency response, in armed conflict zones. Following the recent eleven-day hostilities between Israel and the Gaza Strip, the agency appealed for $38 million to support about 50,000 people seeking safety in 50 designated shelters.