KUWAIT: Kuwait Foreign Minister Sheikh Dr Ahmad Nasser Mohammad Al-Sabah reiterated support to, and solidarity with, cash-strapped UN Relief Works Agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), amidst spread of coronavirus. Sheikh Ahmad, addressing a virtual ministerial meeting, co-sponsored by Jordan and Sweden, over promoting UNRWA’s role, called for solidarity of the international community towards their “moral and humanitarian responsibility” to guarantee sustainability of UNRWA funding. This funding, he added, would alleviate suffering of the Palestinian people. UNRWA should continue its operations as mandated by the UN, said Kuwait’s top diplomat, until a permanent and just solution was reached for the Palestinian refugees based on relevant UN resolutions.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called for providing political and financial support for UNRWA which was carrying out vital operations, considered to be the lifeline for millions of Palestinian refugees thus contributed to regional stability. UNRWA contributes to educating more than half a million students, he said, and the UN agency reported more than eight million visits to its medical facilities every year. UNRWA, added Guterres, provide food and financial aid for around 1.8 million Palestinian refugees in Gaza Strip, as well as funding for businesses. He said UNRWA was contributing in human development and stability on a daily basis and in the midst of the spread of the coronavirus. Guterres said UNRWA has been providing essential support for the Palestinian refugees for over 70 years. “We share the responsibility towards” the Palestinian refugees until a just solution for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is reached, he said. — KUNA