NEW YORK/AMMAN: Kuwait has called on the international community anew to provide funding for the UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA in order to help protect Palestinians from poverty and unemployment, as well as provide basic needs. Supporting UNRWA will guarantee sustainable development for Palestinian refugees, Attache Mohammad Al-Sawwagh said, by investing in sectors of health and education as well as giving Palestinian refugees a chance to have a better future and decent life.

Sawwagh, addressing the UN General Assembly's fourth committee late Tuesday to discuss UNRWA, reaffirmed Kuwait's firm support for the UN agency and the Palestinian people. "The Palestinian cause is still at the centerstage of the Arab and Islamic worlds, and the question of Palestinian refugees is at its top," he said, underlining the importance of the right of the Palestinians in line with UN General Assembly resolution 194 and the Arab peace initiative.

Sawwagh commended UNRWA workers who have been functioning in "difficult and extraordinary circumstances" to provide services to more than 5.7 million Palestinian refugees in its five operation zones. He rejected undermining the mandate of UNRWA or transferring its authorities to another agency. Sawwagh expressed concern over the "difficult conditions" in the Palestinian refugee camps, specially in Syria, Lebanon and occupied Palestinian territories.

AMMAN: UNRWA official Marwan Adwan with Kuwaiti Ambassador to Jordan Abdulaziz Al-Dehani.

He condemned the Zionist occupation authorities' systematic attempts to hamper the services of UNRWA, as well as closure of its centers in Jerusalem. The Zionist occupation authorities are fully responsible for the downgrading of UNRWA services due to their "illegal and immoral" practices against the Palestinian refugees, he said, calling for extending UNRWA's mandate.

Meanwhile, UNRWA official Marwan Adwan voiced Wednesday gratitude and appreciation for Kuwait's cooperation with the organization, adding that it has donated $23.5 million in the past two years. This came after Adwan's meeting with Kuwaiti Ambassador to Jordan Abdulaziz Al-Dehani. The UNRWA official, speaking to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA), said the meeting conveyed a message of support, indicating that talks will be held to translate such support to achieve the goals of the agency.

Ambassador Dehani affirmed Kuwait's support to efforts of the UN and its organizations, and collaborates with them to achieve societal development goals. Dehani, speaking to KUNA, dubbed Kuwait's firm stance on the Palestinian case as a source of pride for all. He further asserted Kuwait's support of international efforts to safeguard refugee rights and alleviating their burdens by relief projects, while also commending the role of UNRWA in providing primary services of healthcare and education to Palestinian refugees. UNRWA was established in 1949 and was commissioned to provide aid and protection to 5.7 million Palestinian refugees. - KUNA