United States to Assist Palestinian Refugees

Office of the Spokesman
Washington, DC
March 12, 2010
www.state.gov/r/pa/prs/ps/2010/03/138291.htm

Assistant Secretary of State for Population, Refugees, and Migration Eric P.
Schwartz welcomed Filippo Grandi, recently appointed Commissioner-General of
the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the
Near East (UNRWA), to Washington DC on March 11, 2010, and announced that
the U.S. will make an additional planned contribution of $55 million to
UNRWA.

The United States is UNRWA's largest donor. The announced contribution of
$55 million includes $30 million to UNRWA's General Fund, which provides
core services to Palestinian refugees across the region, and $25 million to
UNRWA's Emergency Appeal for the West Bank and Gaza. This additional funding
will bring total U.S contributions to UNRWA thus far in Fiscal Year 2010 to
$95 million. In 2009, the United States provided more than $267 million to
UNRWA.

UNRWA provides emergency food assistance, critical health, education, job
creation programs and humanitarian services to 4.7 million Palestinian
refugees in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, the West Bank, and Gaza. Assistant
Secretary Schwartz and Commissioner-General Grandi discussed UNRWA program
requirements and the quantity and scope of essential materials entering
Gaza.

Commissioner-General Grandi will also meet in Washington with Deputy
Secretary of State Jacob J. Lew, Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern
Affairs Jeffrey D. Feltman, Assistant Secretary for Democracy, Human Rights
and Labor Michael H. Posner, and Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for
International Organizations Gerald C. Anderson.

PRN: 2010/295