Statement by Mr David Windsor, Counsellor, Permanent Mission of Australia to the United Nations Fourth Committee regarding the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, as delivered 1 November 2010.
Australia welcomes this opportunity to extend again our commendation to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency and its staff for their ongoing strong commitment and dedicated work over the past year in providing essential services and humanitarian assistance to Palestinian refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and the Palestinian Territories – including health, education, housing and social services. For six decades, UNRWA has provided much needed practical support to Palestinian refugees, through its considerable activities, just some of which include:
- support to 4.7 million Palestinian refugees, including some 1.4 million, in 58 refugee camps
- running some 691 schools, with 483,000 pupils, boys and girls – one of the largest school systems in the Middle East; fifty per cent of the enrolments are by girls, demonstrating an important step towards promoting equal rights for women in Palestinian society
- delivering vital medical services through 137 health clinics, with over 4,000 health workers
- providing quarterly food and cash subsidies for more than 257,000 disadvantaged refugees in 2008
- helping 35,000 refugees with disabilities, with over 16,000 receiving direct rehabilitation services
- and running some 64 Women’s program centres
We welcome Commissioner Grandi back to New York, and thank him for his informative presentation this afternoon. Australia welcomes the continued emphasis by UNRWA on fiscal responsibility and organisational reform, and efforts to further expand its donor base – including by continuing outreach for direct public contributions. Australia recognises the often substantial in-kind contributions made by the host countries (Jordan, Lebanon and Syria) to UNRWA.
Australia has been a longstanding strong supporter of UNRWA, providing more than $88 million since 2001. A couple of the specific projects Australia has been contributing to include:
- improving water and sanitation facilities in 105 schools and constructing 2.5 kilometres of sewerage networks in the West Bank and Gaza, in cooperation with UNICEF and Australian NGOs
- providing emergency and humanitarian assistance through short–term employment for up to 54,000 refugees; health care for 15,000 Palestinian refugee children in schools by supporting UNRWA’s activities, and providing health care for 160,000 pregnant women and mothers in Gaza in partnership with UNFPA.
I am pleased to say that Australia will increase its core funding to UNRWA this Australian financial year (2010-11), and that we will move to a multi-year agreement with the agency:
- these steps reflect Australia's strong commitment to the work of UNRWA
- they will also provide greater predictability in UNRWA's funding to deliver on its expanding mandate
Australia has been a consistent supporter of a two-state solution where both Palestinians and Israelis live side by side in their own states – and we have this year seconded an Australian official to work in Office of the Quartet’s Representative. We strongly welcomed the decision by Israel and the Palestinians to re-launch direct peace negotiations. We are very disappointed with what has since happened – specifically, Israel’s decision not to extend its moratorium on settlement activity.
We urge both parties to resume direct talks:
- and to refrain from all actions that undermine trust or the climate for negotiations
- we call for a freeze of all settlement activity by Israel.
- and we also condemn all actions that endanger lives in Israel.
Australia has significantly increased its assistance to the Palestinian people. We are contributing to the development of Palestinian institutions and building capacity in preparation for statehood, as well as providing humanitarian assistance, over $125 million since 2007.
We have welcomed Israel's easing of access for goods entering Gaza, and continue to urge Israel to do all it can to increase the flow of humanitarian goods and necessary supplies into Gaza. The situation there remains of great concern to us. It is very disappointing to hear of the ongoing problems UNRWA is facing in reopening a number of its schools.
Australia condemns the cowardly and shameful attacks by armed men against the UNRWA summer camps and the acts of vandalisation.
Fundamental improvements to the day-to-day life and prospects of Palestinian refugees across the region will of course only be addressed by a comprehensive, just and sustainable peace in the Middle East based on a two-state solution. As our Foreign Minister, Mr Rudd, said in the General Assembly this year, “All member states of the General Assembly should welcome the prospect of both an Israeli and a Palestinian state being represented at the 66th General Assembly of the United Nations to be held just next year”. Australia reiterates its call on all parties to invest – now – in further efforts to bring about this lasting peace in the region.
In conclusion, Australia reiterates its concern about the plight of the Palestinian refugees, and its commitment to UNRWA and its valuable work. Australia has, for many years, voted in support of all the four resolutions considered under this agenda item, and looks forward to seeing the results of the discussions between the relevant delegations this year. We wish them well in their discussions.