UNRWA and SDG 2: Zero Hunger

The right to food is the most basic of human rights. UNRWA safeguards this right through the provision of cash assistance and basic food items to the most vulnerable Palestine refugees who would otherwise be unable to meet their food consumption needs. The Agency also provides emergency cash and food assistance in times of crisis to reduce the suffering of affected families.  

The UNRWA Social Safety Net Programme (SSNP) aims to mitigate food insecurity among Palestine refugee communities with priority focus on the abject poor, through a range of social assistance including cash transfers and/or the provision of electronic cash vouchers (e-cards). In 2021, over 398,000 Palestine refugees were assisted through the SSNP. In 2021, the Agency also provided: (i) emergency food assistance to 1,136,351 Palestine refugees in Gaza and 37,437 members of refugee, Bedouin and herder communities in the West Bank; (ii) emergency cash assistance to Palestine refugees in Syria (417,807), Gaza (160,180), Lebanon (113,881), the West Bank (23,903) and Jordan (18,730); and (iii) emergency one-off multi-sectoral cash assistance to 58,380 families in Gaza in response to the May 2021 escalation of hostilities.