Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Philippe Lazzarini, appealed today for sustainable funding for the agency which is on the brink of financial collapse. ‘As I address you today, I do not have the funds to keep our schools, health centers and other services running as of September,’ Lazzarini told a pledging conference at the UN Headquarters in New York. Lazzarini pointed out that chronic underfunding over the past decade and the resulting severe austerity measures mean UNRWA is already operating with a $75 million shortfall, putting its lifesaving programs across the Middle East at risk.

Source: En – Palestine news & Information Agency – WAFA