(MENAFN- Arab Times) KUWAIT CITY March 29: Pierre Krahenbuhl Commissioner General of United Nations Relief Works Agency hopes that the third International Humanitarian Pledging Conference for Syria will prove to be a reconfirmation of the international community's attention to the humanitarian disaster that is unfolding in Syria but he will also look to highlight the plight of Palestine refugees there.
'We hope that there is going to be a strong attention and focus in financial terms to mobilise additional resources for the response in Syria' he added while stating that Kuwait III would provide another opportunity for the awareness of the need for political solutions to this conflict. While UNRWA is not a political actor itself he pointed out that the organisation faced the consequences of unresolved conflict in human terms. The UNRWA is asking for $415 million at Kuwait III to support the 480000 Palestine refugees there. Out of those 480000 several tens of thousands live in camp environments that are currently besieged infiltrated by armed groups or exposed to front line areas.
Before the war there were 560000 refugees in Syria who Krahenbuhl reveals were self-sufficient and would only turn to UNRWA for the education of their children. 'They had built up their businesses and were covering the needs of their families themselves. Now 95% of the remaining Palestine refugees cannot meet their daily needs and are entirely dependent on UNRWA for the basic needs' he informed. The UNRWA's response to the crisis has two main pillars: emergency humanitarian aid and maintaining development by keeping UNRWAservices open.
Emergency aid is provided mainly as cash and the UNRWA programme is the largest in Syria reaching 470590 refugees last year. Krahenbuhlstated that keeping core services open for all Palestine refugees even as war rages has been an overwhelming challenge and absolute priority. 'Even though one third of UNRWA's facilities in Syria have closed as a result of damage or active conflict we have maintained services by moving with displaced refugees and opening temporary health and education points.
UNRWAhas more than 4000 staff in Syria many living amongst the community they serve and who report for duty even in areas impossible for international staff to reach' he said. He informed that against the Syria-wide trend school enrolment is up: with more than 46600 students enrolled for the new academic year more than double the enrolment in 2012 which fell to 22000 from prewar 67000 numbers. UNRWAalso provided a total of 955190 primary health consultations an increase of 46% on the previous year.
UNRWAreopened schools in areas that have sustained calm particularly in Neirab and Qabr Essit. Livelihoods programmes in calmer areas that provide life skills training as part of Engaging Youth and microfinance for over 2000 clients in 2014 has continued. Movement and access have become more difficult in Aleppo and Dera'a. More than 80% of Palestine refugees live in and around Damascus which continued to suffer intense armed engagements throughout 2014. Those who fled to relatively safe areas have lived in crowded collective shelters more than two years. 'My experience is that when you are working in conflict areas question of access are very difficult because you are dealing with many actors on the ground and of course security is always going to be a central question for any organisation' he affirmed. In 2014 five members of the UNRWA staff were killed: bringing the total to 14 UNRWA staff since the start of the conflict out of the UN total of 17. Thirty staff members have been missing presumed in detention. Many Palestine refugees have been killed or seriously injured including in incidents that affected UNRWAinstallations.
Biggest
He revealed that the biggest challenge that the UNRWA is currently facing is funding. 'Last year our appeal was cut by 53% and that meant that we had to adjust and scale down a number of things. But currently for the first part of the year and up to this point only 4% of our appeal for $450 million is covered at this stage by money in the bank. This will mean a huge impact on our cash and food distributions and it is certainly the biggest challenge' he told the Arab Times. While there are clear parallels between Syrian and Palestinian refugees without minimising the plight of the Syrians he shed light on a dimension that is tragically unique to the Palestinians. 'In the case of Palestine refugees in their families and in their histories they have already once been displaced from their lives and original homes in 1948 or 1967.
This means that now we are dealing with yet another Palestinian generation that is exposed to and confronted with the trauma of displacement loss and dispossession. Because this has been experienced in the past it defines the identity of Palestine refugees and they are once again losing homes livelihoods and feeling despair' he pointed out. He commented on the swelling of conflicts and the stress put on resources 'The Middle East has been engulfed in a whole range of new destabilising conflicts from the occupation in West Bank and Gaza the illegal blockade imposed by Israel on the Gaza strip and then continuing for four years and entering its fifth you have the regional consequences of Syria.' He mentioned that because donors are confronted with so many requests aid organisation face shortages that have an impact on people's ability to survive. He stressed that it is absolutely vital that the international community mobilises itself to resolve the conflict and ends the occupation and blockade of Gaza through political action.
'The UNRWA will mark 65 years this coming May and we were always considered to be a temporary institution. Certainly for us there is a hope that we will not be there for so much longer. But this will require a political response and it is one we have kept calling for and one that is very highly needed now' he concluded.
By: Cinatra Fernandes Arab Times Staff
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