UNITED NATIONS RELIEF AND WORKS AGENCY FOR THE PALESTINE REFUGEES IN THE NEAR EAST (UNRWA)

UNRWA is a United Nations agency established by the General Assembly in 1949 and is mandated to provide assistance and protection to a population of some 5 million registered Palestine refugees. Its mission is to help Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, West Bank and the Gaza Strip to achieve their full potential in human development, pending a just solution to their plight. UNRWA’s services encompass education, health care, relief and social services, camp infrastructure and improvement, microfinance and emergency assistance. UNRWA does not provide “capacity development to governments” but rather works in coordination with the host governments. The Agency’s interventions particularly address issues relating to PRPS and MDGs aiming to address the human development needs of the Palestine refugee population. UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions.

UNRWA’s organizational strategy focuses on the main programmatic areas of its mandate, contributing towards poverty alleviation and sustainable socio-economic development outcomes amongst its target population.