Brussels, 23/04/2015 (Agence Europe) - On Thursday 23 April, Robert Turner, the director for operations in Gaza at the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, again called on the European Union to give his organisation more funds.
“We are still asking for money”, he said, smiling. During a conference, he stated that UNRWA's annual general budget was around $650 million (€603 million) per year and that the structural deficit was $105 million (€97.5 million). Turner said that 90% of the budget went to UNRWA's employees, including over a hundred UNRWA school teachers.
He also said that, unlike for 2014, the distribution of food was assured for this year. Indeed, two thirds of Gaza's population depends on this assistance. However, the aid intended to support Gazans find alternative housing has not been assured.
Over the 2007-2013 period, the EU contributed up to €660 million to the UNRWA budget and €128 million was allocated during the emergency humanitarian appeals. Around 57% of UNRWA's budget comes from the EU and its member states.
Turner added that the war last summer had left the population frustrated and angry, and he said a growing number of Gazans planned on leaving in order to offer their children a better life.
In Turner's view, the humanitarian situation is linked to politics. “If we do not take care of the peace negotiations and Palestinian reconciliation, we will have another conflict. The situation will not change”, said Christian Berger, the European External Action Service (EEAS) director for North Africa; the Middle East, the Arabian peninsula, Iran and Iraq. (Camille-Cerise Gessant)