Ministry Statements & Speeches:
Thank you Madam Chair, UNRWA Commissioner General and the three courageous youth who have joined us today.
Madam Chair -
UNRWA remains as essential today as it was at the time of its establishment more than 67 years ago.UNRWA continues to provide a range of essential services, including education, health care, social support, protection and microfinance, to more than five million Palestine refugees in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Jordan, and Syria. UNRWA’s work continues to make a positive, concrete difference in the lives of the people it serves. The international community’s ongoing contribution expresses our determination that Palestine refugees should be supported to live their lives fully and with dignity.
Madam Chair -
Sharing this determination, New Zealand remains firmly committed to supporting UNRWA’s work, including through voluntary contributions.
We are pleased to confirm that we will provide one million New Zealand dollars in untagged core funding for UNRWA for 2017, and a further one million New Zealand dollars for 2018. Our annual contribution may not be the largest, but it is designed to provide maximum flexibility and transparency to UNRWA, to allow it to adapt to the changing needs of the population it serves and to plan ahead effectively. New Zealand will continue to consider multi-year untagged funding arrangements for UNRWA and other multilateral agencies, and encourages other donors to do the same.
New Zealand is just one of a broad coalition of Member States and other donors to support UNRWA’s work. We recognise in particular the contribution of Gulf states, including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, whose recent announcement of 67 million dollars for projects in Gaza, the West Bank and Jordan continues a tradition of generous support for the agency. We also welcome Canada’s recent decision to resume its funding to UNRWA.
Madam Chair -
The context in which UNRWA operates is increasingly challenging. The continued stagnation of efforts to resolve the decades old conflict between Israelis and Palestinians is depressingly familiar. This impasse demonstrates that the only alternative to a two-state solution is a future of perpetual occupation, characterised by endless violence and oppression.
The international community must continue to do all it can to support UNRWA’s work. At the same time, we cannot expect UNRWA to indefinitely fill the gaps created by the absence of a resolution of the conflicts that continue to affect the people that UNRWA serves.
Thank you.