CAIRO, Sept. 10 (Xinhua) -- Head of the UN relief agency for Palestinian refugees said on Monday that his agency needs an additional 200-million-U.S.-dollar funding to sustain its operations until the end of the year.
Pierre Kr?henbühl, commissioner-general of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), said he will meet with several Arab foreign ministers and Secretary-General of the Arab League in Cairo to discuss the repercussions of the U.S. decision to cut off financial aid to his agency.
His comments came during a press conference at the United Nations Information Center in Cairo.
The UN official thanked Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates for securing a total funding of 50 million U.S. dollars in aid to the UNRWA.
He also praised efforts by Egypt and Jordan in support of the UN refugee agency.
Kr?henbühl noted that the UN General Assembly will hold a meeting soon at the invitation of Jordan and Sweden to discuss means of settling the UNRWA financial crisis.
He also stressed UNRWA's determination to continue opening schools for Palestinian students.
A U.S. State Department spokesperson said on Saturday that President Trump had decided to cut allocated funds pledged for Palestinian hospitals in Jerusalem. The move came a week after Trump's administration cut 200 million dollars in aid to the UNRWA.
As the oldest and largest relief organization, UNRWA was established in 1949 and mandated to provide assistance and protection to some 5.4 million registered Palestinian refugees in Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip to achieve their full potential in human development.
Its services include education, health care, relief, social services, infrastructure, camp improvement and microcredit.
