Senior official reiterates Kuwait's continued support to UNRWA

(With: HUM-UNRWA-KUWAIT-CONFERENCE) ROME, March 15 (KUNA) -- Kuwait reaffirms continuity of support to the Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and to mobilize international backing to it, a senior official said Thursday.
Deputy Foreign Minister Khaled Al-Jarallah made the statement at the Extraordinary Ministerial Conference "Preserving Dignity and Sharing Responsibility: Mobilizing Collective Action for UNRWA" held at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Rome, Thursday.
The event aims to muster assistance for the oldest and largest UN humanitarian and human development program in the Middle East, serving millions of Palestinian refugees, to combat the worst financial crisis it is experiencing in its 70 year history and may be forced to suspend services.
The conference reflects keenness on the side of the international community to discuss the critical conditions the agency has been going through, and which might negatively impact its crucial role serving nearly six million registered Palestinian refugees, Al-Jarallah added.
Curtailing the UNRWA's financial resource will cause a "humanitarian disaster that will inevitably lead, to a halt, and collapse, all its programs in education, health and infrastructure, besides stopping humanitarian aid," he noted.
He also warned of a "security chaos" that will impact the region, amid the doubling poverty numbers, and soaring rates of unemployment and crime.
This comes at the time when the Middle East is already facing several perils and threats, topped with terrorism that has spread due to unrest in the entire region.
Al-Jarallah lauded efforts by UNRWA Commissioner-General Pierre Krahenbuhl as part of campaign to raise donations to maintain the agency's financial stability, so that it can go on offering due services for preserving the rights and the dignity of the Palestinian people.
Kuwait has responded to the invitation to attend the conference out of the country's belief in the necessity of lending hand to the Palestinian refugees.
The country "adheres to its unwavering stance in support of the Palestinian people, as well as working for retrieving their rights and self-determination," he stressed.
Al-Jarallah said that Kuwait renewed commitment to working with the international community to join forces to develop solutions to refugees' crises.
"We also look forward, through this conference, to concluding actual and realistic outcome that could reflect on the life of the Palestinian people, to end their suffering and guarantee their genuine right in a dignified life, in line with provisions of the international conventions," he said.
Over the past few years, Kuwait has presented USD 145 million to support UNRWA and its vital projects for the good of the Palestinian people, the Deputy Foreign Minister said.
Al-Jarallah pointed to projects financed by the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED) for the Palestinian people, in different fields.
He noted that Kuwait's commitment's to the agency would be nearly USD 8 million.
Al-Jarallah led the Kuwaiti delegation to the conference opened earlier today by the Un Secretary General. (end) mn.msa