23/07/2020 (Agence Europe) – Thirty-one European politicians called on the international community, in a letter dated 20 July, to provide the funding that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) “desperately needs”. “Without consistent and reliable funding, UNRWA will not be able to fulfil its mission”, they stress. Former European Commissioners Karel de Gucht and Štefan Füle, former European Parliament President Hans-Gert Pöttering and several former foreign ministers are among the signatories. In a statement on 22 July, UNRWA stated that it had received funds and commitments to cover less than 50% of its core budget and 60% of its planned Covid-19 response, and even less for its emergency budgets to meet humanitarian needs in Syria and Gaza. (CG)