Press release
Minister Coveney announces additional funding of €2 million to UN Agency for Palestine Refugees
From Department of Foreign Affairs
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Foreign Affairs
Published on
Last updated on
The Minister for Foreign Affairs Simon Coveney today announced €2 million in additional support for the Palestinian people, following a meeting with Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, in Dublin.
The funding will be allocated to the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which provides essential services to 5.7 million registered Palestine refugees in the occupied Palestinian territory, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria. It brings Ireland’s total contribution to UNRWA in 2022 to €8 million.
Announcing the pledge, Minister Coveney said:
"I am delighted to announce this additional funding for UNRWA. Ireland is a longstanding supporter of the agency’s work with and on behalf of Palestine refugees.
"UNRWA provides a lifeline to the most vulnerable groups within the refugee population and its work continues to be essential. This contribution will help UNRWA to provide critical services such as healthcare, education, humanitarian relief and social services to refugees across its fields of operation.
"This includes Gaza, where ordinary people are suffering the effects of hostilities and the ongoing blockade."
There are 5.7 million Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
Ireland has already disbursed €6 million to UNRWA in 2022, including €5 million in core funding for UNRWA’s 2022 Programme Budget, of which €1 million is for use in Lebanon. The other €1 million was allocated to UNRWA’s Syria Regional Crisis Emergency Appeal.
UNRWA’s Programme Budget is used to provide essential services for Palestine refugees in the fields of health, education, microfinance, infrastructure and camp improvement, protection, relief and social services across its five areas of operation.
UNRWA’s Syria Regional Crisis Emergency Appeal addresses the basic humanitarian needs of Palestine refugees affected by the conflict in Syria. Palestine refugees have been disproportionately affected by this conflict, with an estimated 438,000 UNRWA-registered refugees remaining inside the country, of which almost one third are children.
Ireland’s total assistance to the Palestinian people will amount to €16.5 million in 2022.