UN And Individual Countries Pledge To Never Desert The Palestinian Refugees
The United Nations and the international community will not abandon the estimated four million Palestinian refugees
scattered across the Middle East – that was the vow today from participants at the conclusion of a two-day conference in
Geneva about tackling the Palestinians’ humanitarian needs.
During the meeting of countries and international organizations, delegates pledged to donate $10.5 million to help the
Palestinians, with several other countries or regional groups also promising to give financial aid in the future.
They also agreed that special attention should be given to the needs and concerns of Palestinian children, saying they
would improve the standard of school buildings and continue measures to boost health care.
The delegates stressed they would try to ensure a safe environment in areas where Palestinian refugees are living so
that the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees http://www.un.org/unrwa/ (UNRWA) can better deliver essential services.
Delegates also agreed to focus on several areas of reform in the years ahead: building greater respect for international
humanitarian law, ensuring the freedom of movement for refugees, improving access to jobs, and increasing community
development.
The conference was organized and hosted by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.
The countries and organizations that made pledges were Algeria, Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Spain,
Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) Fund for International
Development. France, Norway, Sweden, the United States and the European Union said they would donate funds soon.