Norway increases support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)
– UNRWA plays an important role in safeguarding the basic needs and rights of Palestinian refugees, and is also important for stability. At the same time, UNRWA is critically underfunded. We will therefore increase the support, says Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt.
At a high-level conference in Brussels, Secretary of State Henrik Thune announced that Norway plans to increase its contribution to UNRWA for this year and next.
UNRWA’s mission is to ensure that the fundamental rights and needs of Palestinian refugees are met. UNRWA’s mandate includes about 5.7 million Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, the West Bank and Gaza, and to ensure that refugees receive basic services such as education, health care, food aid and shelter. The organization is also a major employer of Palestinian refugees.
The government recently decided to increase humanitarian support for UNRWA’s efforts in Lebanon by NOK 17 million. The government will also increase Norway’s core contribution this year. The size in December will be determined. So far this year, Norway’s support for UNRWA is NOK 217 million.
From 2022, Norway plans to increase its core support to UNRWA.