Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and Swedish Ambassador of the Department for the Middle East and North Africa, Anna Hammargren, underlined the need to work with the international community to raise political and financial support for UNRWA.
During a meeting in Amman on Monday, the two officials discussed regional developments and efforts underway to overcome challenges and achieve peace and stability in the region. They also touched on joint efforts, in cooperation with the international community, to garner support for UNRWA, within the framework of a cooperation agreement by the two countries to assist the agency.
A statement by the Jordanian foreign ministry said that Safadi and Hammargren reviewed the implementation mechanisms for the recommendations of the Stockholm meeting, which was held in April, and which emphasized the need to address the gap in UNRWA’s funding and to resolve the Palestinian refugee issue within a comprehensive political solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict based on international resolutions.
The statement added that the two officials underlined the importance of providing sufficient support to the agency to enable it to maintain its UN-mandated role towards Palestinian refugees. It also said that Jordan and Sweden were working within a strategic partnership to narrow the agency’s deficit for the current year of around $200 million.
Safadi highly valued Sweden’s efforts in this regard, noting that the country has donated $200 million to the agency, in addition to rallying international political and monetary support to aid its cause.
The General Assembly is scheduled to vote this year on whether to extend UNRWA’s mandate.
