UN Palestinian refugees agency to work to preserve services

BEIRUT – The head of the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees says the group’s staff “will convene all our energy” to preserve all services through 2019 despite funding cuts.

Pierre Krahenbuhl told reporters Wednesday that the UNRWA was able to keep all schools and health centres in camps around Lebanon open last year despite the cuts.

The United States, once the agency’s largest and most generous donor, withdrew its support for the agency in 2018. That resulted in an abrupt loss of $300 million in funding for the organization.

Last month, UNRWA appealed for $1.2 billion to fund their services this year, aiming to maintain the same amount of money the agency received from donors in 2018.

The U.N. agency assists 5.4 million registered Palestinian refugees across the Middle East.