Context
UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East) was established by the UN General Assembly after the 1948 Arab-Israeli conflict. It is the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for the Near East. Operations began on 1 May 1950. UNRWA is mandated by the UN to provide assistance, human development and protection services to Palestine refugees and persons displaced within its area of operations as a result of the 1967 hostilities.
UNRWA provides assistance, protection and advocacy for the 4.7 million registered Palestine refugees in the Middle East. Today, the agency maintains operations in five areas - Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem - and employs nearly 30,000 people, the vast majority of whom are refugees.
The agency's services include education, health, relief, camp infrastructure and improvement, community assistance services, microfinance and emergency response, particularly in times of armed conflict.
The project
UNRWA helps Palestine refugees acquire knowledge and skills, the agency is:
- One of the largest education systems in the Middle East, teaching half a million children in nearly 700 schools;
- The leading provider of primary education to Palestine refugees for 60 years;
- A vocational training programme for young people, helping them to acquire professional skills.
UNRWA also helps Palestine refugees to improve their access to healthcare:
- Basic health services provided through a primary health care network and mobile clinics;
- Preventive, general and specialised care adapted to each stage of life;
- Work to create a healthy environment for Palestine refugees.
UNRWA also helps Palestine refugees to improve their living conditions:
- It provides social protection services, concentrating its efforts on the poorest refugees;
- It provides basic food aid and financial support, as well as emergency financial assistance and adequate shelter for the most vulnerable refugees;
- It helps to improve the physical and social environment in refugee camps using a community-based approach;
- With its dedicated micro-finance department, it increases the income-generating potential of the population;
- Finally, it works to mitigate the effects of emergencies on the lives of refugees.
UNRWA defends the human rights of Palestinian refugees:
- By achieving UNRWA's first three development goals depends on the fourth: ensuring the full enjoyment of human rights;
- Working to safeguard and advance the rights of Palestine refugees by ensuring that quality services reach vulnerable communities and individuals;
- The advocacy programme, which tackles the root causes of abuse or neglect of beneficiaries' rights. The agency also stresses the urgent need for a just and lasting solution to the situation of Palestine refugees;
- In Gaza and the West Bank, the Operations Support Officer programme monitors, documents and intervenes with the authorities and other stakeholders in the event of breaches of refugee rights.
- Areas of operation
Some 1.4 million refugees, around a third of the total, live in 58 recognised camps, and UNRWA services are located in or near these areas.
Who is it for ?
Palestine refugees are people whose habitual place of residence was Palestine between June 1946 and May 1948, and who lost their homes and means of subsistence as a result of the 1948 Arab-Israeli conflict. UNRWA's services are available to all those living in its area of operation who meet this definition, are registered with the agency and are in need of assistance. Descendants of the original Palestine refugees are also entitled to be registered.
With whom ?
UNRWA receives generous support from UN Member States, regional governments and the European Union. Together, these sources account for almost 93% of financial contributions to the Agency.
UN sister agencies share their skills and expertise with UNRWA, in addition to projects benefiting Palestinian refugees in other multi-sectoral areas, making the UN system in the region more coherent and effective. By 2021, the financial value of these collaborations will amount to $15 million. UNRWA also partners with businesses and foundations, ranging from small local technology companies to large multinational corporations. They work with small community-based organisations and international NGOs, drawing on their unique resources and strengths to deliver effective services to Palestinian refugees.
Individuals play an invaluable role in meeting the needs of Palestine refugees, contributing $9.2 million in 2021.
Results
In all the areas in which UNRWA operates, the agency has helped 4,766,700 registered refugees in 58 recognised refugee camps. This represents 29% of refugees living in camps.
UNRWA also has a team of 30,600 staff, 691 schools and 137 clinics providing basic health care.
This initiative sheet was written by Yohan Taris, LFC intern in March 2023.
Last modification : 12 Jun 2023.
United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East
UNRWA is the United Nations agency providing relief and assistance to Palestinian refugees in the Near East. UNRWA is mandated by the UN to provide assistance, human development and protection services to Palestine refugees and persons displaced within its area of operations as a result of the 1967 hostilities.