Qatar partakes in Extraordinary Virtual Pledging Conference of UNRWA

Doha, 23 June (2020) - The State of Qatar participated in the work of the extraordinary virtual conference to announce the pledges of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).

HE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi represented the State of Qatar during the conference held on Tuesday via video conferencing.

In a speech before the conference, HE Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi stressed that the State of Qatar will continue to provide support to UNRWA within the framework of enabling it to carry out its mandate, adding that the State of Qatar has been and remains at the forefront of the countries supporting it, as it has provided through the Qatar Fund For Development more than USD100 million since 2015.

He explained that the support provided by the State of Qatar to UNRWA in 2020, which was announced in 2019, amounts to a total of USD11.2 million, according to the agreement signed in Dec. 2019 on the sidelines of the Doha Forum between the State of Qatar and UNRWA, along with an amount of USD1.5 million provided by the Education Above All foundation in the State of Qatar to support of the Palestinian government represented by the Ministry of Education to ensure the right to education for Palestinian children.

HE Al Muraikhi underscored that the State of Qatar will remain at the forefront of the effective countries to enhance UNRWA's ability to continue to perform its mandate and carry out its activities effectively in line with its principles and firm commitment in supporting the brotherly Palestinian people.

He said that the State of Qatar is today the first in the Arab world in providing support to UNRWA's core resources for 2019-2020.

HE the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs stated that this conference is taking place in light of the increasing financial crisis facing the UNRWA and the additional burden imposed by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on its work.

He reiterated the support of the State of Qatar for the efforts of the new Commissioner-General of UNRWA and thanked HE the Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres, for his efforts to mobilize support for the Agency.

His Excellency also thanked the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the Kingdom of Sweden for organizing this conference.