During his visit to Gaza today, the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Finland Dr. Erkki Tuomioja announced an additional EUR 1.5 million to the General Fund of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). This funding will support UNRWA’s regular programme to Palestine refugees living in the occupied Palestinian territory, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon.

Security incidents and shellings are hampering UNRWA’s ability to respond to the needs of Palestinian refugees inside Syria.

Snap. Pop. Snap. Bits of colorful limestone and granite scatter about the worktable as two young women clinch their wrenches, breaking bits of the stones for their most recent mosaic creation.

Another woman gathers the pieces of rock and carefully applies glue to them, attaching the square-shaped stones to a piece of canvass.

May 2013

UNRWA staffer Irina Prentice has recently travelled on a work mission to set up emergency communications for Palestine refugees from Syria who have fled to neighbouring countries. This is the second instalment of her Notes from the field.

“Hana Maria was my wife”, Yamen a young man in his late twenties from Yarmouk camp tells me.

Despite looking worn out, he handles his daughter with gentleness and affection. Almost two, Alma is energetically making her presence felt in the dark room we are all sitting in.

REGIONAL OVERVIEW

West Bank

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in the West Bank marked International Labour Day yesterday with a celebration to recognize the work of the Agency’s Job Creation Programme (JCP), which provides temporary job opportunities and creates sustainable projects for thousands of Palestine refugees.

“This programs needs to be implemented in all parts of the West Bank as it contributes to the development of people’s lives,” said Ikrimaha Rayyan, the head of Beit Duqq Association for Development and one of JCP’s partners.

Of 67,292 students enrolled at UNRWA schools, 43,552 are out of school due to the ongoing conflict. 8 schools are housing IDPs, and a further 61 are closed due to hostilities.

28 April 2013
Jerusalem

Brazil’s major rice producing state, Rio Grande do Sul, through the Federal Government of Brazil, has donated 11.500 metric tons of rice stocks to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). The announcement was made in Jerusalem’s Shufa’at refugee camp today by Rio Grande do Sul Governor, Tarso Genro. “I am delighted to be here among the Palestinian refugees who will benefit from this food produced in my state.

Beirut
26 April 2013

For the fifth year, the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through the Development Cooperation Office of the Embassy of Italy, has funded a three-day-sports event for young Palestine Refugees in UNRWA’s Siblin Training Centre. This fifth installment builds on the success of the previous four editions of “Palestiniadi”.

Palestiniadi aims to promote dialogue between the Lebanese and Palestine refugee communities by allowing young people to get acquainted and compete in three days of fun and games.