On Monday, at a trilateral summit in Madrid, the Jordanian Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi, his Swedish counterpart Ann Linde and UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini met and reviewed the arrangements for a UNRWA international conference during the fourth quarter of the year.
The three sides highlighted the importance of the conference to guarantee the UN agency support and sustain the vital health, educational and aid services the agency offers to Palestinian refugees, according to a Foreign Ministry statement.
Safadi stressed that they are working to mobilize political and financial sustenance for UNRWA. He prompted the standing of financial support to the agency to continue offering its vital services to over five million Palestinian refugees, as well as to more than 560,000 students at UNRWA schools in its five areas of operation.
The minister noted that the UNRWA’s role is “indispensable”, which was proven by the agency’s distribution of critical humanitarian services during the attacks on Gaza.
Safadi, Linde and Lazzarini also went over possible avenues to secure the international support necessary to meet the agency’s financial needs, considering cumulative financial pressures on UNRWA and their repercussions on refugee communities and the budget and program of the agency.
Lazzarini conveyed a brief on the agency’s financial status and its efforts to secure support for its future.
They also recapped the need to continue the UNRWA program as part of international efforts aimed at securing the necessary financial support to the agency as a primary pillar for regional security and stability.
The two ministers and the commissioner-general called for sustaining coordination with international partners to ensure political and financial support for UNRWA according to long-term financing mechanisms, which enable the agency to continue its services to Palestinian refugees without interruption.
