CAIRO, Sept 28, 2018 (MENA) – More than dlrs 100mn of aid were allocated to the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) during an ad-hoc meeting in support of the relief agency, a statement by the Arab League said Thursday night. Of the sum, Kuwait alone earmarked dlrs 40mn, Assistant Arab League Secretary General Hosam Zaki said in the statement. The political and financial goals of the meeting, hosted by Jordan, were achieved, Zaki said, voicing the pan-Arab organization's satisfaction over the outcome of the international event. Today's meeting came to refute allegations that the international community was no longer considering the Palestinian refugees' issue one of the major points of a long- hoped-for final settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Zaki said. The meeting was held on the fringe of the 73rd UN General Assembly meetings in New York. UNRWA, A United Nations agency that supports Palestinian refugees, received contributions of $118 million, narrowing a budget gap for this year to $68 million as it aims to fill a shortfall left by a cut in US funding. Pierre Krahenbuhl, Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), said the pledges were made at a meeting on the sidelines of the annual gathering of world leaders at the United Nations in New York, Voice of America reported. He said the largest funding pledges on Thursday were made by Germany, the European Union, Kuwait, Ireland and Norway. The United States last month announced a halt in its aid to UNRWA, calling it an "irredeemably flawed operation," a decision that further heightened tension between the Palestinian leadership and the Trump administration. UNRWA provides services to about five million Palestinian refugees across Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and the West Bank and Gaza.
