Afghanistan

In Kabul, Laghman, and Nangahar, 763 families received packages of fresh Udhiyah meat.

Iraq

Over 10,000 pounds of fresh meat was distributed to 2,300 poor Iraqi families, as well as a number of orphans, in the provinces of Baghdad, Anbar, Diyala, and Mosul.

Jordan

Udhiyah meat was distributed to 580 families living in Palestinian refugee camps and isolated rural villages.

Lebanon

In the governorates of Tripoli and Sidon LIFE distributed Udhiyah meat to 130 needy families.

Palestine

Some 7 tons of fresh meat were distributed

AMMAN, 9 December 2008 (IRIN) - A nutrition programme run by the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) in camps across Jordan is encouraging more students to stay in school.

Teachers had become accustomed to seeing children ditch classes, under pressure to help parents at home or work to help the family finances.

The midmorning snack provided by UNRWA throughout Jordan since the beginning of the school year has proved successful in tempting students to stay in class, according to teachers and education officials.

Each child receives either a banana or

The World Health Organization Emergency Humanitarian Action programme in the Eastern Mediterranean Region covers 22 countries and aims at contributing to human security and quality oflife by minimizing the health impact of all forms of humanitarian crises, natural or man-made, and byaddressing the health needs of affected populations. Monthly, WHO produces an information bulletinin the Eastern Mediterranean Region intended to highlight, in a timely manner and concise way,health-related activities deployed by WHO at country level where there are humanitarian crises.

NAJAF, Iraq, November 27 (UNHCR) - UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres met Thursday with Iraq's Grand Ayatollah Ali Al-Sistani in the holy city of Najaf, briefing the respected spiritual leader on UNHCR's work on behalf of the world's uprooted people.

Guterres, wrapping up a three-day mission to Iraq, told Al-Sistani he considered his visit symbolic on the eve of the Eid al'Itha (sacrifice) holiday.

"I undertook this mission at this time to show solidarity with our staff - who come from many cultures and

AMMAN, 26 November 2008 (IRIN) - The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has launched an initiative to combat violence in its schools across the Middle East by teaching children tolerance and conflict resolution, but teachers and refugees doubt the scheme could work in the poverty stricken camps.

A new code of conduct was unveiled in Amman last week by senior UNRWA officials, governing relations between teachers and students as well as parents, to promote disciplined and violence-free schools.

UNRWA-run schools in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon,

Amman - The Commissioner General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, Karen AbuZayd has warned that UNRWA is facing what she called "a grave and imminent crisis" and that if it is to be averted, the Agency must receive significant additional pledges in the first quarter of 2009.

Addressing UNRWA's annual meeting that brings together donors, host governments, NGO partners and other UNRWA stakeholders, AbuZayd explained that according to present budget projections, in the first quarter of next year, the General Fund which funds UNRWA's

Asia and the Pacific

Problem Statement/Context: The Asia Pacific region has an emergency profile characterized by a combination of natural disasters, civil/political unrest with pockets of conflict situations, and recent emerging new global threats such as high food and fuel prices crisis, the threat of pandemic influenza and other emerging diseases. In terms of natural disasters, the Asia-Pacific region is considered specifically vulnerable to floods and landslides, a yearly recurrent consequence of the seasonal rains coupled to possible formation of cyclones during the

Primary Health Care Conference, Doha, 3 November 2008

Distinguished delegates:

I thank the Government of Qatar for hosting this important conference. We are also grateful to WHO for inviting UNRWA to contribute a perspective from its sixty years of service to Palestine refugees.

As many of you will know, UNRWA was established in 1949 to provide relief and emergency assistance for Palestine refugees in the Near East. Since commencing operations in May 1950, our programmes have considerably evolved in response to the changing needs of refugees

Executive summary

The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) zone has developed three major strategic management priorities which are based on a firm commitment to the Federation of the Future framework and a thorough needs-based assessment of stakeholder interests, most notably that of the National Societies in the MENA region representing the beneficiaries in local communities.

1. A strategic dialogue co-organized by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the International Federation's MENA zone with leaders of the National Societies in the region