India pledges USD 10 million to UNRWA over next two years

India on Tuesday announced that it will contribute USD 10 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) over the coming two years and asserted that capacity enhancement through training and building durable institutions is a major plank of its developmental assistance to Palestine.

India on Tuesday announced that it will contribute USD 10 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) over the coming two years and asserted that capacity enhancement through training and building durable institutions is a major plank of its developmental assistance to Palestine. Addressing an extraordinary virtual ministerial pledging conference for UNRWA, Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said that as a steadfast supporter of the Palestinian cause, India deeply appreciates the generous support and untiring work of host countries, donors and UNRWA to ensure millions of "our Palestinian brothers and sisters displaced from their homeland lead a life of dignity". "The COVID-19 pandemic continues to wreck havoc across the globe, stretching governments' resources to address healthcare and socio-economic needs of their own people, and constraining capacities to assist others," he said. But, victory over this unprecedented crisis demands collective and concerted action, Muraleedharan asserted. Therefore, despite a surge in domestic demand for medical supplies amidst rising COVID-19 cases, India is assisting countries in need of critical, life saving drugs, he said. "We are sending a medical shipment to Palestine next week," Muraleedharan said.

"Capacity enhancement through training and building durable institutions is a major plank of our developmental assistance to Palestine," he said. India provides 250 annual scholarships to Palestinian youth and officials, apart from regular customized training programs, and its current project grant is around USD 72 million, he said.

Asserting that UNRWA needs continued support, Muraleedharan said when certain countries withdrew funding, India had stepped up its annual pledge from USD 1.25 million to USD 5 million in 2018. "For this year, we have already disbursed USD 2 million and will soon be remitting the balance USD 3 million. I am pleased to announce that we will contribute another USD 10 million to UNRWA over the coming two years," he said.