Bethlehem /PNN /

Dr. Ahmed Abu Holi, a member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization and Head of the Refugee Affairs Department, affirmed that intense efforts are being made by the Palestine Liberation Organization to ensure the success of the donor conference for UNRWA held at the ministerial level in New York on the twenty-first of September during the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly.

In a statement issued today on the eve of the UNRWA donor conference in New York, Dr. Abu Holi stated that high-level Palestinian moves are being led by President Mahmoud Abbas and his accompanying delegation. These moves involve meetings with heads of states participating in the UN General Assembly to support Palestinian rights, mobilize resources for UNRWA, and ensure the success of the pledging conference.

Dr. Abu Holi warned in a press statement today about the danger looming over the region if the donor conference fails to secure the required funds for UNRWA, estimated at 190 million dollars, to enable it to continue providing services to the Palestinian refugee community, which numbers over 5.9 million, and to pay salaries to its employees until the end of the year.

He stated, "Palestinian refugees in the camps are on the edge, and their wait will not be long given the economic collapse, widespread unemployment, and poverty among them. They cannot meet their basic needs and those of their children. These are messages to the donors that they must grasp before it's too late."

He urged the international community to fulfill its responsibility in financing UNRWA and supporting the rights of Palestinian refugees based on General Assembly resolutions 302 and 194. He pointed out that the international community's ignorance of the suffering of Palestinian refugees and its disregard for UNRWA's financial crisis will have serious repercussions on the region's stability.

He added, "Palestinian refugees in the camps face the risk of hunger if the cash and food assistance provided by UNRWA, their lifeline, is discontinued. He wondered about the fate of 600,000 refugee students if UNRWA closes its schools due to its inability to pay its employees' salaries."

Dr. Abu Holi called on donor countries meeting in New York to have the political will to translate their political support, always expressed within the corridors of the United Nations, into adequate and sustainable financial funding. He emphasized that the worsening UNRWA financial crisis is caused by the lack of this political will.

He called on UN member states and the donor countries to create a sustainable funding model alongside voluntary funding by allocating a fixed budget from the UN's core budget. He stressed that the approach of just meeting the minimum funding requirements as a response to the current situation, which has put UNRWA in an accumulated financial deficit, should not be taken.

Dr. Abu Holi confirmed that the conspiracy to dismantle UNRWA and end its role by transferring its powers to host countries and international organizations to resolve the refugee issue and eliminate the right of return will not pass. It will shatter in the face of the resilience and steadfastness of the Palestinian refugee.