UNRWA chief hails Kuwait, GCC countries for their financial support

DEAD SEA, Jordan, Nov 19 (KUNA) -- UN Palestinian refugees agency (UNRWA) Commissioner-General Pierre Krahenbuhl praised on Monday Kuwait and other GCC countries' contributions which minimized budget deficit of the agency to 95 percent.
In a press conference, on the sideline of UNRWA consultations committee meetings, Krahenbuhl thanked Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Qatar for their donations, each USD 50 million, which represented half of the new amount needed to put an end to the cumulative deficit of UNRWA.
UNRWA chief also praised the European group, namely Germany, Britain, Sweden, Italy, France, and Spain for their efforts not only in providing aid but also increasing their donations.
Concerning the committee meetings, chaired by Turkey, Krahenbuhl said during the opening session, the committee made a full review of its work and its accomplishments, including efforts to bring the financial support needed for the agency.
Krahenbuhl noted that committee members made briefings on efforts related to the financial resources collected by the agency during Rome and New York conferences.
Last week, Kuwait's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Mansour Al-Otaibi handed UNRWA USD 42.1 million contribution to support its activities.
"This takes the total contribution of Kuwait to USD 50 million, making it one of the largest contributors to UNRWA in in 2018," Al-Otaibi told KUNA following his meeting with head of the UNRWA office in New York Peter Mulrean.
Last Wednesday, the Arab League commended Kuwait's relentless backing to the UN refugee agency, UNRWA, as part of this Gulf country's historical role in supporting the Palestinian issue. (end) mjb.mb