Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what the long-term strategy of the Government is with respect to sustainable support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.

The UK has a multi-year commitment to support United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) and we plan to continue to fund the Agency in line with that agreement. This will provide basic services such as health and education to Palestinian refugees in Gaza, the West Bank and the region.

Last year the UK led international efforts to help ensure UNRWA’s essential services were maintained, by almost doubling our original core support of £33.5 million to £65.5 million in total, and lobbying other donors to step up, to ensure the funding burden is shared more evenly across the international community. Both the UK and UNRWA recognise the need for UNRWA to reform to ensure its sustainability, and UNRWA has undertaken significant cost-cutting measures to respond to budget cuts and growing needs. We welcome UNRWA’s efforts to broaden its donor base and are encouraging partners to provide more funding and more predictable disbursements. A long-term solution requires a just, fair, agreed and realistic settlement for Palestinian refugees. Until that happens the UK remains firmly committed to supporting UNRWA and Palestinian refugees.