Allocation of funding to support activities of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)

Further information:

The funding was expected to provide access to education for 500,000 children, primary health care for more than 3.5 million patients and assistance to over 250,000 vulnerable refugees. This support was allocated as a part of the EU's regular annual contribution for 2018, and was made available through a sped-up procedure.

Background information:

The €82 million in funding was announced during a meeting between High Representative Federica Mogherini and UNRWA Commissioner-General Pierre Krähenbühl in the margins of the extraordinary UNRWA Ministerial Conference in Rome. The Conference focussed on solving the acute funding crisis the Agency is facing and on moving forward necessary Agency reforms.

Since 1971, the strategic partnership between the European Union and UNRWA has been based on the shared objective of supporting the human development, humanitarian and protection needs of Palestine refugees and to promoting stability in the Middle East.

In June 2017, the EU and UNRWA signed a '2017-2020 Joint Declaration"' strengthening the political nature of their partnership and reaffirming the European Union's commitment to promoting the rights of Palestine refugees. The Declaration also confirms the EU's support for the long-term financial stability of the Agency in a context of intensified budgetary constraints and operational challenges.

In 2016 and 2017, the EU and its Member States together provided €424 million and €391 million respectively to UNRWA, making the European Union by far the largest and most reliable donor to the Agency.

The European Union announced on 15 March 2018 the decision to make available €82 million for the 2018 operating budget of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).