Saudi Arabia pledges $50 million to UNRWA

On November 28, Abdallah Al Rabeeah, Supervisor General of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre (KSC), and Commissioner-General Pierre Krähenbühl of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), signed an unprecedented agreement which confirmed the pledge of $50 million made by Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud in support of the Agency's core services.

Expressing his deep recognition and gratitude, Commissioner-General Krähenbühl stated, "The disbursement of this landmark donation will make a major contribution to the Agency's global mobilization aimed at reducing an unprecedented shortfall this year. With Saudi Arabia's donation and the support of our other partners, we have brought the deficit of $446 million down to its current level of $21 million, and have been able to open on time the 711 schools run by UNRWA for 530,000 girls and boys in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Gaza, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.”

“It was crucial to ensure that their education is preserved. Similarly, our 140 health centers remained open thanks to the funding received, providing crucial primary health care to 3 million patients,” he added.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, along with its humanitarian and development bodies, is an important and consistent partner to UNRWA. This year alone, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has contributed close to $160 million towards UNRWA including projects across its five fields of operations.