Translated by Sabrin Qadah 

The European Union has contributed to an additional US $20 million to support essential programs of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), which includes education, health, relief and social services.

According to a statement issued by the "UNRWA", on Friday evening, that this contribution would have an important role in bridging the shortfall in funding for the year 2016 and will allow UNRWA to continue to support Palestinian refugees in all the territories of its work.

The release pointed out that the European Union has worked over more than four decades to consolidate its role as a main strategic partner of the Agency, and provided support to UNRWA in its efforts to help Palestinian refugees achieve their full potential in human development despite the difficult circumstances in which they live.

UNRWA’s Commissioner-General, Pierre Krähenbühl, said: "I strongly welcome this additional contribution from the European Union. It is a strong sign of the EU's solidarity with the Palestinian refugees and its generous support of the vital role of UNRWA in the Middle East region, which increasingly suffers from instability. I appreciate the confidence attached to our Agency and I am committed to ensuring the benefit from this important support effectively.

The statement noted that the European Union continues to be the largest multilateral donor that support UNRWA’s programs and basic services.

He added that this latest donation comes in addition to the annual contribution of the European Union worth 82 million euros of the Agency's program budget. The total contribution of the Union has raised support of the agency to 138.5 million euros in 2016, including contributions to support projects and emergency appeals.