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±¬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.
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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