EAST JERUSALEM, 9 December 2022 - Germany is among the largest donors to UNRWA, having contributed over EUR 180 million in 2022. The enduring support of donors like Germany helps UNRWA to continue to provide lifesaving humanitarian services to Palestine refugees in the region and enhances the essential work of the Agency to improve their living conditions.

From Wednesday 30th November – Thursday 1st December the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) welcomed a German delegation from the German Representative Office in Ramallah to Gaza. Meeting with Jenifer Austin, Deputy Director of UNRWA Affairs in Gaza, the delegation visited Al Amal Elementary Girls School, in Khan Younis Area, as well as several reconstruction projects which have been previously funded with support from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through KfW Development Bank. The visit concluded with a tour and inauguration of the new Relief and Social Services (RSS) office in Gaza City.

During the visit, the delegation had the opportunity to speak with students, teachers, as well as Palestine refugees who have benefited from the delivery of these projects, including meeting refugee families whose lives have been transformed by their move from dilapidated shelters in overcrowded areas of Khan Younis Camp to nearby newly constructed multi story buildings as part of camp improvement interventions, as well as some of the 131.000 Palestine refugees who can now benefit from the new custom-built Relief and Social Services (RSS) office, where UNRWA services support some of the most vulnerable in the community, particularly women, children, people with disabilities, and the elderly.

The visit to Gaza was followed by the signing of three new funding agreements between UNRWA and KfW as implementing partner for the German support totaling EUR 31 million in support of Palestine refugees in Gaza and Lebanon. In Lebanon, the additional German support includes includes further funding towards the reconstruction of Nahr el-Bared refugee camp which will allow 170 displaced families to return to new residential units in the camp and the reconstruction of 28 retail units, creating 600 temporary jobs in the process. The second agreement will contribute to the generation of some 5,800 short-term employment opportunities for Palestine refugees in Lebanon through the rehabilitation of UNRWA facilities, sanitation works, with a particular focus on 3,300 youth and young adults. The final agreement signed supports comprehensive shelter rehabilitation interventions and temporary accommodation solutions for approximately 225 vulnerable refugee families in Gaza, as well as the implementation of a shelter needs assessment and management system to inform future programming. The signing of these multi-year agreements brings the total funding provided by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) via KfW in 2022 to EUR 95 million.