Qatar Charity Supports UNRWA in providing Health Care for Palestine Refugees in Gaza
AMMAN,
Qatar Charity and the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) signed an agreement today whereby Qatar Charity will contribute US$ 1.17 million over two years in support of the Agency’s efforts to provide access to health care to Palestine Refugees in the Gaza Strip.
As the blockade enters its 16th year, unemployment levels continue to increase with every graduation cycle. This dire unemployment situation compounds an already fragile economy, deteriorated infrastructure, internal political divisions, and repeated cycles of conflict that affect the daily lives of Palestine Refugees.
“Giving Palestine Refugees’ access to health-care services enables them to lead healthier lives and maintains their dignity,” says Tamara Alrifai, UNRWA Director of External Relations and Communications. “The generous support of Qatar Charity to UNRWA is essential for the health and wellbeing of Palestine Refugees in the Gaza Strip. Access to health care is a human right applicable to all, including Palestine Refugees. I truly hope that other partners will also step in to support Palestine Refugees in the Gaza Strip, especially those who almost entirely rely on UNRWA for basic services.”
This agreement represents a continuity of the cooperation between UNRWA and Qatar Charity which donated US$ 1.5 million between 2020 and 2022 to provide food assistance to Palestine Refugees in the Gaza Strip. It further reflects how Qatar Charity, and the State of Qatar at large, are dedicated and reliable supporters and partners to UNRWA.
For his part, Mr. Nawaf Hammadi, CEO Assistant to International Programs and Chief Global Programs Officer, added that: “Qatar Charity is committed to supporting humanitarian causes across the globe and Palestine Refugees are among its top priorities given the dire humanitarian conditions they face. In addition, Qatar Charity considers UNRWA a strategic partner in delivering its aid to them”.
Since its establishment, the contributions provided by the State of Qatar to the Agency enabled UNRWA to continue to provide essential services to millions of Palestine Refugees in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, the Gaza Strip, and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
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Notes to Editors
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In the Gaza Strip, UNRWA administers 22 primary health-care facilities. In 2022, there were nearly 3.4 million annual patient visits.
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Under the 2023 oPt Emergency Appeal, the priority in Gaza is to provide emergency food assistance to 1.2 million refugees and emergency cash assistance for those worst affected by the economic crisis.
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Some 46,000 Palestine Refugees benefit from short-term cash-for-work employment through the Agency’s emergency Cash For Work Programme.
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Some 180,000 Palestine Refugees receive emergency cash assistance.
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More than 294,000 Palestine Refugee students are educated in UNRWA schools across the besieged Gaza Strip.
UNRWA is the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. The United Nations General Assembly established UNRWA in 1949 with a mandate to provide humanitarian assistance and protection to registered Palestine refugees in the Agency’s area of operations pending a just and lasting solution to their plight.
UNRWA operates in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, The Gaza Strip, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.
Tens of thousands of Palestine refugees who lost their homes and livelihoods due to the 1948 conflict continue to be displaced and in need of support, nearly 75 years on.
UNRWA helps Palestine Refugees achieve their full potential in human development through quality services it provides in education, health care, relief and social services, protection, camp infrastructure and improvement, microfinance, and emergency assistance. UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions.
