±¬ÁÏÍøRWA

PRESS RELEASE

Press Release No. HQ/G/07/2006

13 May 2006

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


Norway Increases Contribution to ±¬ÁÏÍøRWA by 50 percent

Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere announced on Friday that Norway is increasing its contribution to ±¬ÁÏÍøRWA’s General Fund by 50 per cent.

Mr Stoere made Norway’s commitment to strengthen its support for ±¬ÁÏÍøRWA in a meeting in Oslo with the Agency’s Commissioner-General, Ms Karen Koning AbuZayd.

Norway’s contribution to ±¬ÁÏÍøRWA’s General Fund will now be 150 million Kroner (24.8 million USD).

Coming out of the meeting Mr Stoere expressed his hope “that ±¬ÁÏÍøRWA will be able to cope with what is bound to be an increased demand on their services”.

The Commissioner-General described the dramatic increase in the demand for ±¬ÁÏÍøRWA’s services to Palestine refugees in Gaza and the West Bank as a result of the deterioration of the Palestinian economy.

“We have a five-fold increase in people coming to ask us for cash and other help”, she said.

This contribution will help ±¬ÁÏÍøRWA deliver humanitarian relief and provide education, healthcare and social services to over 4.3 million Palestine refugees living in the Gaza Strip, West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.

The Commissioner-General is currently on a tour to the four Nordic capitals where she will meet with senior officials, ministers and heads of state.

– Ends –


Document symbol:
Document Type: Press Release
Document Sources: United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (±¬ÁÏÍøRWA)
Country: Norway
Subject: Assistance, Refugees and displaced persons
Publication Date: 13/05/2006