AMMAN — Saudi Arabia donated on Sunday $27 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in support of the Palestinian refugees. Saudi Ambassador to Jordan Nayef Al-Sudairi handed the checks for this amount to UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini at a press conference organized by the Saudi embassy in Amman. A memorandum of understanding (MoU) in this regard was signed by Al-Sudairi, Lazzarini, and Dr. Ahmad Abu Holie, member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization and the head of the Department of Refugee Affairs. Those who attended the ceremony also included Nayef Al-Qadi, head of the Palestine Committee in the Jordanian Senate, and a number of deputies, politicians, and media professionals. The donation will be used to support UNRWA's programs and operations in the region. Speaking on the occasion, Ambassador Al-Sudairi said that the total Saudi support given to Palestine since 1999 amounted to more than $5.2 billion. These included support for the budgets of the Palestinian National Authority, and direct support for a number of sectors such as infrastructure, health, education, food, and agricultural security, government, Palestinian civil society, water, and environmental reform. "This support stems from the Kingdom's firm belief in the important assistance that UNRWA provides to more than 5.4 million Palestinian refugees through its educational and health programs, in addition to the relief services, social services, and job opportunities it creates so that the Palestinian people may enjoy a dignified life," he said while noting that the Kingdom has always devoted most of its capabilities to support the Palestinian cause in various political, economic and social fields, in addition to its absolute support for the cause and the rights of the Palestinian people in the United Nations and the humanitarian organizations. For his part, UNRWA Chief Lazzarini valued the Kingdom's generous assistance amounting to $27 million to support the Agency's programs and operations in the region.
