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European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations (DG NEAR)
News article12 November 2020Directorate-General for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations

European Commission announces €4.6 million additional funds in response to UNRWA’s urgent financing needs

Olivér Várhelyi, Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, met virtually today with United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini.

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Olivér Várhelyi, Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement, met virtually today with United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini. In order to help UNRWA meet its urgent financing needs, Commissioner Várhelyi announced a further contribution to the UNRWA Programme Budget of €4.6 million, in addition to the €82 million provided at the start of 2020.

The additional funds will be used by UNRWA to maintain its food assistance operations and core health services, in light of the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. With this additional funding, the EU’s overall contribution to UNRWA in 2020 reaches €102.3 million, as the second largest donor to the Agency.

Commissioner Várhelyi said: “These additional funds will help UNRWA provide essential services to Palestinian refugees. I welcome UNRWA’s efforts to prioritise the provision of core service in the fields of education, healthcare and social protection, even if this means making hard choices. It’s important that those donors that have not already done so step up their funding and shift to multiannual financial commitments like the EU”.

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