UN / UNRWA PLEDGING CONFERENCE

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02-Jun-2023 00:05:10
The United Nations held on Friday a pledging conference for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) as an opportunity for Member States to match their political commitment with sufficient and predictable financial contributions. UNIFEED

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STORY: UN / UNRWA PLEDGING CONFERENCE
TRT: 05:10
SOURCE: UNIFEED
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LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 2 JUNE 2023, NEW YORK CITY / FILE

SHOTLIST:

RECENT – NEW YORK CITY

1. Wide shot, exterior, United Nations

2 JUNE 2023, NEW YORK CITY

3. Wide shot, conference room
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Csaba Kőrösi, President, United Nations General Assembly:
“Seventy-five years ago, UNRWA was established as a temporary apparatus, to provide immediate aid to displaced Palestinians. Yet, here we are, three-quarters of a century later, with no solution to the conflict in sight, and still pleading for adequate funding to sustain this vital lifeline, while its necessity continues. Starting 2023 off with a $75 million debt carried over from the last year is a stark reminder of the precarious state UNRWA finds itself in. UNRWA will run out of money by September unless we disburse immediate funds.”
5. Wide shot, conference room
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Csaba Kőrösi, President, United Nations General Assembly:
“Let us not forget the stakes involved. We are not discussing theories, but real-life consequences for nearly six million refugees who depend on UNRWA’s services. They depend on the commitments shown in this room. Failure to address this urgent funding crisis will result in the loss of access to healthcare, schooling, food, and water – for those who need these essential services most. Shall we continue to ignore this situation?”
7. Wide shot, conference room
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Courtenay Rattray, Chef de Cabinet to the UN Secretary-General:
“Let’s be clear: UNRWA is on the verge of financial collapse. The consequences of further budget cuts would be nothing short of catastrophic. When UNRWA’s future hangs in the balance – so do the lives of millions of Palestine refugees relying on essential services.”
9. Wide shot, conference room
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Courtenay Rattray, Chef de Cabinet to the UN Secretary-General:
“UNRWA was created to support one of the first humanitarian operations of the United Nations nearly 75 years ago. And still, the prospect of peace remains remote. If anything, it is receding. The past year was the deadliest for Palestinians since OCHA began systematically tracking fatalities in 2005. Halfway into the new year, violence rages on without reprieve.
11. Wide shot, conference room
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Courtenay Rattray, Chef de Cabinet to the UN Secretary-General:
“In this darkening picture, UNRWA is one of the few rays of hope. I urge you to nurture and sustain this hope. Do your part and ensure that UNRWA is fully funded. Let us help UNRWA help Palestine refugees.”
13. Wide shot, conference room
14. SOUNDBITE (English) Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East:
“Palestinian refugees’ resilience in the face of adversity and displacement should not blind us from the underlying human tragedy unfolding. In the Gaza Strip, beyond the destruction and the loss of lives and livelihoods, we face a psychosocial crisis with long-term consequences. Half of the UNRWA students there are traumatized and need specialized support to continue learning.”
15. Wide shot, conference room
16. SOUNDBITE (English) Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East:
“Dear friends of UNRWA, with your support, the agency is one of the most successful multilateral stories in the region. But will it continue to be? We are asked to provide government like services but are not receiving the means to do it. For the fourth consecutive year, we are carrying over large debts. Chronic underfunding pushes us to operate under severe austerity measure. It affects the quality of our services and limits our ability to respond to new challenges.”
17. Wide shot, conference room
18. SOUNDBITE (English) Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East:
“It is time for a reflection on our future collective duty towards Palestine refugees. It requires political will and action to overcome the current status quo. Until such a time, the agency must be sustained financially, and therefore I appeal to you all today to provide UNRWA with the funds and predictability we need to sustain our schools health center and other crucial services. I appeal to you all to keep the hope alive for half a million children, like Leen and Ahmed.”
19. Wide shot, conference room

STORYLINE:

The United Nations held on Friday (2 June) a pledging conference for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) as an opportunity for Member States to match their political commitment with sufficient and predictable financial contributions.

Opening the event in New York, Csaba Kőrösi, the President of the General Assembly, noted that “seventy-five years ago, UNRWA was established as a temporary apparatus, to provide immediate aid to displaced Palestinian,” but the international community continues “with no solution to the conflict in sight, and still pleading for adequate funding to sustain this vital lifeline, while its necessity continues.”

Kőrösi noted that the Agency started 2023 off with a $75 million debt carried over from the last year, saying it is “a stark reminder of the precarious state UNRWA finds itself in.”

“UNRWA will run out of money by September unless we disburse immediate funds,” the President added.

Kőrösic continued, “Let us not forget the stakes involved. We are not discussing theories, but real-life consequences for nearly six million refugees who depend on UNRWA’s services. They depend on the commitments shown in this room. Failure to address this urgent funding crisis will result in the loss of access to healthcare, schooling, food, and water – for those who need these essential services most. Shall we continue to ignore this situation?”

Representing the UN Secretary-General, Chef de Cabinet Courtenay Rattray said, “Let’s be clear: UNRWA is on the verge of financial collapse. The consequences of further budget cuts would be nothing short of catastrophic. When UNRWA’s future hangs in the balance – so do the lives of millions of Palestine refugees relying on essential services.”

Rattray, reading António Guterres’ message, noted that “the prospect of peace remains remote” in the region and “if anything, it is receding.”

Rattray added that “the past year was the deadliest for Palestinians since OCHA began systematically tracking fatalities in 2005” and “halfway into the new year, violence rages on without reprieve.”

“In this darkening picture, UNRWA is one of the few rays of hope. I urge you to nurture and sustain this hope. Do your part and ensure that UNRWA is fully funded. Let us help UNRWA help Palestine refugees,” concluded the Chef de Cabinet.

The Commissioner-General of UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini, also addressed the Member States, saying that “Palestinian refugees’ resilience in the face of adversity and displacement should not blind us from the underlying human tragedy unfolding.”

According to Lazzarini, “in the Gaza Strip, beyond the destruction and the loss of lives and livelihoods, we face a psychosocial crisis with long-term consequences” and “half of the UNRWA students there are traumatized and need specialized support to continue learning.”

The Commissioner-General told Member States, “Dear friends of UNRWA, with your support, the agency is one of the most successful multilateral stories in the region. But will it continue to be? We are asked to provide government like services but are not receiving the means to do it. For the fourth consecutive year, we are carrying over large debts. Chronic underfunding pushes us to operate under severe austerity measure. It affects the quality of our services and limits our ability to respond to new challenges.”

Lazzarini also said that “it is time for a reflection on our future collective duty towards Palestine refugees.”

“It requires political will and action to overcome the current status quo. Until such a time, the agency must be sustained financially, and therefore I appeal to you all today to provide UNRWA with the funds and predictability we need to sustain our schools health center and other crucial services. I appeal to you all to keep the hope alive for half a million children, like Leen and Ahmed.”

As a United Nations agency established by the General Assembly in 1949, UNRWA is mandated to provide assistance and protection to more than 5.7 million registered Palestine refugees.

Its mission is to help Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip achieve their full human development potential, pending a just and lasting solution to their plight.

UNRWA services encompass education, health care, relief and social services, camp infrastructure and improvement, protection and microfinance.
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