EU Presidency Statement - UNRWA-OSTNU

Mr. Chairman,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union. The Central and Eastern European countries associated with the European Union (Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia), and the associated countries Cyprus and Malta align themselves with this statement.

The European Union would like to pay tribute here to the work carried out by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and by its Commissioner- General, Mr. Peter Hansen. The Union wishes in particular to express its positive appreciation for the report of Mr. Hansen on UNRWA activities covering the period from 1 July 1999 to 30 June 2000.

Mr. Chairman,

The European Union would also like to thank the host governments - Lebanon, Syria, Jordan - for the continuous and invaluable support that they have been giving to the refugees for more than 50 years. They often have, thinking especially of Lebanon, paid a very high price, welcoming those refugees and assuming temporarily their presence.

The work of UNRWA has strongly contributed to prevent the worsening of the living conditions of the refugees and thereby to improve social stability in the area. For many years UNRWA has bravely performed its task of assisting the 3.6 million Palestine refugees registered with the Agency in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The Agency has supplied not only essential services but also equipped and managed infrastructures, covering, inter alia, housing, schooling, health and vocational training. The Agency is also operating an income- generation program in support of micro and small enterprises. It is carrying out a wide range of infrastructure projects and other activities under its Peace Implementation Program (PIP) and the Lebanon Appeal.

Mr. Chairman,

The Commissioner- General has once again drawn the attention of the international community to the difficult financial situation of UNRWA. We share his anxiety. The budgetary crisis of the Agency continues, in spite of new, severe but essential, cuts. The budget will present a deficit and suffers a severe cash flow problem.

The European Union hopes that the contributors' financial pledges will be sufficient in order to help the Agency to solve those difficulties. We urgently call on all States, and in particular the States in the Middle East with a high GDP per capita, to increase their contributions in order to allow the Agency to fulfil all its tasks.

I remind the Committee that the European Union - Commission and Member States - is UNRWA's largest voluntary donor, with over 100 million dollars annually. We are also the largest supplier of food aid, with a contribution up to 10 million dollars.

Mr. Chairman,

The European Union encourages the Commissioner- General and his team to continue their efforts towards increased transparency and higher cost- effectiveness, while not reducing the quality and level of the services provided to the refugees. In this context, we welcome the consultative process between the Agency, host governments, the Palestinian Authority and donors on management reforms. We are expecting with interest the assessment of initiated reforms, annouced by the Commissioner- General.

The European Union is pleased to note that the Agency has accomplished already a sizeable effort in terms of restructuration. The budget of the Agency has been unified. The new structure, built on clearly defined projects, within the four main activities of the Agency (schooling, health, social services, assistance to the poorest) contributes to improved budgetary transparency.

This effort has shed still harsher light on those deficits which donors are called on to bring down.

Mr. Chairman,

The European Union would like to stress that the question of Palestinian refugees can in no way be dealt from a plainly budgetary or administrative point of view. For us Europeans, it is a painful human problem which affects millions of Palestinians, who certainly have not chosen to live, some since 1948, others since 1967, in refugees camps, often without the elementary political, economic and social rights. We attach particular value to that human dimension to be taken into account in our reflections.

The question of refugees can in no way be settled by omission in the hypothesis of a peace settlement. Peace can in no way be reached to the detriment of refugees or host governments. Refugees, whatever happens, will have to be treated in an equitable way, in compliance with international law. Resolution 194 of the General Assembly stresses the right to return and the right to compensation for suffered losses. Those are the principles on which necessary efforts and progress can be based. In that regard, the European Union expresses its appreciation for the work accomplished under the aegis of the United Nations Conciliation Commission for Palestine, which has allowed this year to computerize the register of land ownership.

Until a comprehensive, lasting and just peace, based on Security Council resolutions 242 and 338 is achieved, the UNRWA will have to carry on with its mandate, with the necessary resources at its disposal.

Mr. Chairman,

Despite the tragic events of the last few weeks, the discussions have to be resumed. The calm has to come back. The decisive progress accomplished during the summit of Camp David cannot be forgotten. The European Union remains attached to the peace process. There is no other choice. The European Union is prepared to play its entire part, including by remaining UNRWA's largest donor.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

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• EU Presidency Statement - UNRWA for Palestine refugees in the Near East (29/10/2001)