Off the wire
• China Focus: China's environment inspection to spread nationwide  • Indian stocks close lower  • Sri Lanka arrests former top cop over controversial murder case  • 1st LD Writethru: London 24-hour tube service to launch in August  • China-funded Port City donates relief supplies to thousands affected by floods in Sri Lanka  • UN supports Sri Lanka in water purification after flash foods  • Philippines forms information and communications technology department  • London 24-hour tube service to launch in August  • China clarifies Pakistan NSG application stance  • China to launch safety checks at storage sites of dangerous chemicals  
You are here: 　 Home

Half of UNRWA-run schools affected by conflicts in past 5 years: report

Xinhua, May 23, 2016 Adjust font size:

Nearly half of the 692 schools run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in the Middle East have been impacted by conflicts in the past five years, according to a new report released Monday.

UNRWA Commissioner-General Pierre Krahenbuhl unveiled the figures here at the first World Humanitarian Summit, highlighting the importance of protecting education in war-torn areas, which is also a major theme of the summit.

"In the UNRWA program 'education in emergency' run over 60 years, classes have been delivered to nearly 500,000 refugee children in Gaza Strip, Lebanon, Syria and the West Bank," he said.

The commissioner-general praised UNRWA's 22,000 staff for their courage and determination in providing access to learning for refugee boys and girls despite harsh conditions.

He added that hundreds of specifically trained psychosocial counselors have been working with deeply traumatized children to recover and move on with their lives.

"When humanitarian aid is mentioned, people always think about food, medicine and shelters," Krahenbuhl said. "But education is also important for now and for future so we simply never give up."

He called on all parties to stop attacks on schools to spare the lives of children, civilians and humanitarian workers, saying that education is a passport to dignity, and protecting schools will be a key test of the world's ability to deliver on the commitment to "leaving no one behind," which is one major aspect mentioned by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon at the opening ceremony of the summit.

"UNRWA has been an essential part of the world's humanitarian system," said Krahenbuhl. "Too often we have seen first-hand the terrible human cost of conflict."

"We, therefore, endorse the Secretary General's call for strengthening political leadership to prevent and end conflict," he said.

UNRWA was established in 1949 and mandated to provide assistance and protection to some 5 million registered Palestinian refugees. Its mission is to help the refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, West Bank and the Gaza Strip with services in education, health care, camp infrastructure and improvement. Endit