Getting to Know Palestinian Refugee Agency UNRWA; Duty and Funding

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Israel has recently accused 190 staff of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine refugees or UNRWA as members of Hamas, the Palestinian resistance group. The accusation was reported in an Israeli intelligence document urging donors to stop funding the UN agency.

Israel accused several staff of UNRWA of participating in what is dubbed as the Al-Aqsa Flood operation on October 7, which triggered an escalation of hostilities in the Gaza Strip. The six-page document, seen by Reuters, was completed with names and photos of around 190 UNRWA staff, including a teacher, they accused of participating in the resistance. 

But what is exactly the duty and function of UNRWA?

The duty of UNRWA

Established in 1949, UNRWA was birthed alongside the Nakba, or catastrophe in Arabic, which forced more than 700,000 Palestinians out of their homes as a direct consequence of Israeli occupation. The agency, starting its operation on May 1, 1950, is funded almost entirely by UN members.

UNRWA employs around 30,000 staff with at least 13,000 placed in the Gaza Strip. The agency provides primary and vocational education, primary health care, relief and social services, infrastructure and camp improvement, microfinance, and emergency response for Palestinians in Gaza, the Occupied West Bank, and those registered as refugees in Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon.

In the Gaza Strip, UNRWA serves 1,476,706 Palestinian refugees with more than 183 schools, 22 medical facilities, seven women empowerment centers, and other facilities. As many as 286,645 students in Gaza enroll in UNRWA schools, while its medical facilities treat 3.4 million Palestinians on average.

Based on its Medium-Term Strategy 2016-2022, UNRWA is committed to advancing the human development of Palestine refugees through five strategic outcomes. 

Those outcomes are refugees' rights under international law are protected and promoted and the health is protected with the disease burden reduced. Third, school-aged children complete quality, equitable, and inclusive basic education, refugee capabilities are strengthened for increased livelihood opportunities, and refugees can meet their basic human needs.

Who funds the UNRWA?

UNRWA benefits from the voluntary donors of UN Member States including regional governments and the European Union. Together, these sources represent close to 89.2 percent of financial contributions to the Agency. In 2022, funding received from the UN amounted to US$44.6 million.

UNRWA also partners with businesses and foundations, ranging from small local tech companies to large multinationals. The agency also works closely with small community-based organizations and international NGOs, drawing more than US$15.4 million in 2022.

Particularly during emergencies, individuals have an invaluable role in responding to the needs of Palestine refugees. Private partnerships added US$15.4 million in 2022.

The top government donors for UNRWA in 2022 are the United States, Germany, the EU, Sweden, Norway, Japan, France, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, and Turkey. These countries contributed over 61.4 percent or US$520.3 million out of the total funding for UNRWA,

Over 58 percent of the funding received is used for the education of Palestinian children. Around 15 percent are allotted for medical facilities, 13 percent for supporting facilities, 6 percent for social assistance, and 4 percent for infrastructure and building refugee camps.

MELYNDA DWI PUSPITA | TEMPO | UNRWA

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