The Palestine Liberation Organization hailed on Saturday Saudi Arabia’s financial aid to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, in the Near East (UNRWA), reported the Saudi Press Agency.
PLO Executive Committee member and head of the Department of Refugee Affairs Ahmed Abu Houli lauded the Saudi pledge to support UNRWA's budget with $63 million. The funds will be used to finance projects in Gaza, the West Bank and Jordan.
"The additional financial support provided by Saudi Arabia will contribute to the continuation of UNRWA's vital services, in its five areas of operation for nearly 5.9 million Palestinian refugees, and alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian refugees,” he said in a statement.
It will also urge donors to provide additional support UNRWA's budget for the year 2019, to compensate for US aid that has been completely stopped, he added.
In this year alone, Saudi Arabia has donated more than $160 million to UNRWA, including projects, in its five regions, Abu Houli noted.
He called on donors to follow the example of the Kingdom in donating additional funding to stabilize the UNRWA budget for 2019 and to prevent new crises from affecting its services to Palestinian refugees.
UNRWA Commissioner General Pierre Krahenbuhl also hailed Riyadh’s latest contribution, saying: “I am extremely grateful to the government and the people of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for their sustained support they provide UNRWA with over the years."
He added that Saudi Arabia has always been forthcoming in its support towards Palestinian refugees, expressing his particular appreciation of the role played by the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) in delivering assistance to the Palestinian People.
