India donates $2.5 million for Palestinian refugees, UN agency welcomes generous contribution at 'difficult time'

The UN agency for Palestinian refugees on Tuesday welcomed India’s $2.5 million donation, saying that the generous contribution has come at a “difficult time” given the situation, especially in Gaza. Since its inception in 1950, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) carries out direct relief and work projects for registered Palestine refugees. Nearly all of its funding comes from voluntarily donations from UN members. According to the Representative Office of India in Ramallah, India donated $2.5 million to UNRWA on Monday as part of its yearly contribution of $5 million for the fiscal year 2023–2024. This money will support the agency’s core programmes and services, which include relief, healthcare, education, and social services for Palestinian refugees. The contribution was handed over by the Representative of India (ROI) to Palestine, Renu Yadav, to the Director of Partnerships, Department of External Relations of UNRWA, Karim Amer. The ROI underlined India’s continued support for the agency’s activities in the region and the services it provides to Palestinian refugees during the handover ceremony at UNRWA’s field office in Jerusalem, an official press release said. Spokesperson for UNRWA, Tamara Alrifai, told PTI that the agency received a very generous contribution from India yesterday (Monday), which is most welcome during these difficult times and in the face of huge needs across the region, particularly in Gaza. The UNRWA has been struggling to provide basic services to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians since the 7 October Israel-Hamas conflict which has prompted more than two-thirds of the Gaza population of approximately 2.3 million to flee their homes. Earlier on 19 November, India had delivered 32 tonnes of humanitarian assistance to the people of Palestine via the El-Arish Airport in Egypt. Since 2018, India has given $27.5 million to UNRWA. During an Extraordinary Virtual Ministerial Pledging Conference for UNRWA held on June 23, 2020, India announced that it would contribute $10 million to UNRWA over the next two years. Prior to the war in Gaza, UNRWA was already facing an increased demand for services resulting from a growth in the number of registered Palestine refugees, the extent of their vulnerability, and their deepening poverty. The agency is mandated to provide assistance and protection to some 5.6 million Palestine refugees registered with it across its five fields of operation. Its mission is to help Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, West Bank, including East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip achieve their full human development potential, pending a just and lasting solution to their plight. UNRWA services encompass education, health care, relief and social services, camp infrastructure and improvement, protection, and microfinance among Palestinian refugees. During the first-ever Indian Prime Minister’s visit to Palestine in February 2018, India increased its annual financial contribution fourfold to the UNRWA core budget, from $1.25 million to $5 million. India has also made a strong appeal to other traditional donors of UNRWA to consider enhancing their contributions as well as to non-donor member states to consider contributing to the agency in solidarity with the Palestine refugees. With inputs from agencies