JAKARTA - The Palestinian ambassador to the United Nations, Riyad Mansour, on Tuesday called on countries to increase financial support for the UN agency serving Palestinian refugees, saying the refugee crisis has worsened in recent years amid Israel's military campaign in the occupied Palestinian territories.
Speaking at the announcement of the Ad Hoc Committee of the General Assembly on voluntary contributions to UNRWA, Ambassador Mansour said the suffering of Palestinian refugees remains one of the longest unresolved issues before the UN.
"Unfortunately, the problem of Palestinian refugees remains the world's longest refugee problem and one of the longest UN agendas," he said, as reported by Anadolu (1/7)
Furthermore, Ambassador Mansour said that for almost eight decades, Palestinian refugees have experienced repeated expulsion, confiscation of property, and denial of their inalienable rights, including the right to return under international law.
"Over the past three years, this has escalated to a shocking level, especially in the occupied Palestine, amid Israel's genocide and relentless aggression against our people," he explained.
Ambassador Mansour said that despite decades of conflict, UNRWA has played a "very important" role in providing education, health care, humanitarian assistance, and other essential services to Palestinian refugees throughout the region.
Welcoming the funding pledges announced at the conference, the Palestinian envoy called on donor countries to increase their contributions as the agency faces increasing financial pressures.
"We welcome the solidarity and funding pledges made today," he said.
"I urge as many countries as possible - those who have contributed - to contribute more, and those who have not, to do so, to enter the contribution process," he said.
UNRWA was established by the UN General Assembly more than 70 years ago to help Palestinian citizens who were forced to flee their land.
The agency provides vital support to millions of Palestinian refugees in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and other areas where a large number of registered Palestinians live.
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