Belgium contributes EUR 2.45 million to support Palestine refugees in the occupied Palestinian territory

The Kingdom of Belgium has made a generous contribution of EUR 2.45 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in support of the Agency’s services for Palestine refugees in the occupied Palestinian territory.  The contribution will be divided between the UNRWA shelter assistance programme in the Gaza Strip and supporting the Mobile Mental Health Programme, targeting vulnerable Bedouin communities, in the West Bank.

Over the course of the 2014 armed conflict in Gaza, 141,117 Palestine refugee houses were impacted and 9,117 of those totally demolished.  The Belgian contribution will assist Palestine refugees to repair and rebuild their houses, at a time in which a lack of funding is leaving tens of thousands of families unable to undertake repair work or receive their rental subsidies.

As a result of their traditionally nomadic lifestyle, Bedouin Palestine refugees in the West Bank are particularly vulnerable to the heavy restrictions placed on freedom of movement and land access by the Israeli authorities.  Six mobile community mental health teams in the West Bank assist 55 Bedouin Palestine refugee communities by supporting their psychosocial well-being, responding to mental health problems, and strengthening their resilience and coping capacities.

The Kingdom of Belgium is a major UNRWA partner and has been a member of the UNRWA Advisory Commission since 1953. Since 2007, they have contributed over US$ 90 million to support the Agency’s core programmes and services, as well as its emergency programmes in Syria and Gaza.