UN urges political solution to crisis affecting Palestinian refugees

A UN senior official said here Friday that tt is crucial to find a political solution to the conflict affecting Palestinian refugees who have been displaced for 68 years.

The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) Commissioner-General Pierre Krahenbuhl told Xinhua in a written interview that a political action to deal with the underlying causes of instability of Palestinian refugees is needed.

"We have to remember that we are dealing with yet another generation of Palestinian refugees facing the trauma of dispossession and displacement," he said.

Representing over 40 percent of the global refugees, Palestinian refugees "have much to gain from a humanitarian system that is more effective and efficient in delivering health, education and humanitarian services to them."

Krahenbuhl said that before the war broke out in Syria in 2011, there were 560,000 Palestinian refugees in the country.

"We estimate that currently about 110,000 have left the country. There are about 45,000 who went to Lebanon, 15,000 to Jordan."

Following the 1948 Arab-Israeli conflict, UNRWA was established by the United Nations in 1949 and began operations one year later.

UNRWA is unique in terms of its long-standing commitment to one group of refugees. It has contributed to the welfare and human development of four generations of Palestine refugees, defined as "persons whose normal place of residence was Palestine from June 1, 1946 to May 15, 1948, and who lost both home and means of livelihood as a result of the 1948 conflict."

UNRWA services are available to all those living in its areas of operations who meet this definition, are registered with UNRWA and need assistance.

When the agency began operations in 1950, it was responding to the needs of about 750,000 Palestine refugees. Today, some 5 million Palestine refugees are eligible for its services.

Asked about the financial crisis that UNRWA suffers, Krahenbuhl said the agency's financial shortfall for this year stands at 81 million U.S. dollars, which must be urgently filled.

He warned that each year the number of refugees the agency serves goes up and their needs and vulnerabilities grow as well.

"Last year, we were nearly forced to delay the start of our school year for half a million children across the Middle East as we just did not have the money needed," he said.

He took Gaza as an example. In 2000, UNRWA provided food for about 80,000 people, and today the number is near a million.

"So my message to the donors is that yes, we do need to overcome our financial deficit, by combining UNRWA measures and raising the overall funding levels and diversifying the sources of funding," he noted.

The UN official denied that his agency is reducing services, adding that UNRWA is designing new approaches as needs continue to grow at an alarming rate.

Since 2011, UNRWA has introduced some new and innovative humanitarian programs to save lives and preserve the dignity of affected communities. UNRWA now provides a critical lifeline to Palestinian refugees in Syria, Lebanon and Jordan.

He called for a political action to deal with the underlying causes of instability, and urged to end the Gaza blockade and the occupation so that the need for UNRWA services may reduce and perhaps even disappear in the future.

Krahenbuhl pointed out that the humanitarian needs in the world are escalating, adding that there are 125 million people in need of humanitarian assistance, 60 million displaced, and 20 million refugees.

"The world needs to come together and address these dire needs. We can and must do more to end conflict, alleviate suffering and reduce risk and vulnerability," he said.

The first ever World Humanitarian Summit will be held next week in Turkey. Endit