Britain announced on Friday the lifting of its January funding suspension for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) and committed to providing £21 million ($27 million) in new funds.
“We are overturning the suspension of UNRWA funding,” British Foreign Secretary David Lammy told parliament, adding that the UN agency for Palestinian refugees was “absolutely central” to providing humanitarian aid to Gaza.
This funding will go towards UNRWA’s flash appeal for Gaza and the West Bank, which focuses its resources on emergency food, shelter, and other support for 3 million people, as well as its wider work supporting 6 million Palestinian refugees across the region.
Today’s announcement brings the UK into line with partners such as Germany, the EU, Sweden, Japan, France, and other donors.
Development Minister Anneliese Dodds will meet UNRWA Commissioner General Lazzarini today to discuss how the funding will support UNRWA’s work and condemn the killing of almost 200 UNRWA workers in the conflict.
The Foreign Secretary raised the urgent need for the conflict to end during his meetings with Israeli and Palestinian leaders during his visit to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories on 14-15 July.
As part of the visit, the Foreign Secretary announced that the UK will provide another £5.5 million this year to UK-Med to fund their life-saving work in Gaza. This funding will be used to support the ongoing work of their field hospitals and the emergency department at Nasser Hospital.
In the long-term, the Foreign Secretary outlined that the UK is focused on creating a pathway towards a two-state solution that guarantees security and stability for Israelis and Palestinians.
He made clear that any long-term solution must include a crackdown on the rise in settler violence and settlement expansion and a reformed Palestinian Authority, given the powers and resources it needs to govern effectively.
With AFP
