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By UNRWA
Statement by Peter Hansen
Commissioner-General of UNRWA to
the Special Political and Decolonization
Committee
1 November 2004
Mr Chairman,
I present to you today my annual report of the activities of UNRWA
for the period 1 July 2003 - 30 June 2004.
As in previous presentations, I will review
programme achievements,
the extensive emergency programme the Agency conducts in the
occupied Palestinian territory, and
internal developments within the Agency, but I will devote
particular attention today to
the specific sets of growing challenges that confront UNRWA in these
uncertain times and the road ahead.
I hope to provide not only an overview of UNRWA's programmes in the
past year, but also a sense of the Agency's working environment,
both operational and political, so that we can continue to work
together to envision and create a better future for Palestine
refugees.
Report
Statement by Peter
Hansen
Commissioner-General of UNRWA to
the Special Political and Decolonization
Committee
1 November 2004
Mr Chairman,
I present to you today my annual report of the activities of UNRWA
for the period 1 July 2003 ñ 30 June 2004. As in previous
presentations, I will review 1) programme achievements, 2) the
extensive emergency programme the Agency conducts in the
occupied Palestinian territory, and 3) internal developments within
the Agency,
but I will devote particular attention today to 4) the specific sets
of growing challenges that confront UNRWA in these uncertain times
and the road ahead.
I hope to provide not
only an overview of UNRWA's programmes in the past year, but also a
sense of the Agency's working environment, both operational and
political, so that we can continue to work together to envision and
create a better future for Palestine refugees.
1) Regular programme
UNRWAís regular programme of activities provides education, health,
relief and social services, as well as microfinance and
micro-enterprise opportunities to a population of over 4 million
Palestine refugees.
Education By far the agency's largest activity, the education
programme serves almost 500,000 pupils at the preparatory level in
658 schools in the five areas of operation, employs 73% of the total
Agency staff and accounts for 60% of its expenditure. The
Palestinian peoples' educational achievements are well-known, and
UNRWA prides itself on having contributed to this high standard,
which has included achieving gender parity in our school system.
However, while the performance of our students remains good, the
quality of the educational environment is deteriorating, simply
because we are unable to provide adequate classroom space, or keep
old buildings, some of them built in the 1960s,
in adequate repair. Average classroom size is now 41 students, and
many schools operate on a double-shift system, one building actually
serving two schools. The Agency has had to resort to renting
buildings that were not designed as schools and lack adequate
ventilation and common spaces. On a positive note, we completed
construction on nine
new schools during the reporting period, and another seven are
currently under construction, but this is a fraction of what is
required to match the needs of the students.
An additional burden has been the modernization of host country
curricula, including the introduction of English at the primary
level as well as IT courses, which our schools are obliged to
follow. Most dramatically, the Agency remains unable to match the
extension of the basic education cycle from nine to ten years in the
occupied Palestinian territory.
Health Spending less than $15 per refugee per year, UNRWA's health
programme
has been able to provide the Palestine refugee population with
comprehensive primary health care services, including maternal and
child health care, family planning, school health care, disease
prevention and control, dental care, as well as outpatient care,
laboratory and radiology support services, physical rehabilitation
and referrals for hospitalization.
Behind this impressive list lies a disturbing fact: UNRWA doctors
see on average 100 patients a day. That figures to less than 5
minutes per patient. There are several other alarming developments
that will affect the ability of the Agency to sustain this level of
service. One, the demographic profile of the Palestine refugee
population is changing. While birth-rates have dropped, infant and
maternal mortality rates have dropped as well.
Forty percent of the population is below 18 years of age, and 24%
are women of reproductive age. Further, the population is now
undergoing a change typical to developing countries ñ a dramatic
rise in cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. All this increases
demand on UNRWA services. Of particular concern are developments
attributable in great part to the humanitarian crisis in the
occupied Palestinian territory: A 60% increase
in the utilization of general clinic services, and increased
incidence of malnutrition and anaemia. Also, psychological effects
of the crisis are an insidious and serious health concern,
particularly for children. A joint study by Save the Children US and
the Secretariat of the National Plan of Action for Palestinian
Children found that 90% of parents reported that their children
exhibited traumatic stress-related symptoms. Palestinians will be
dealing with the effects of the current crisis for decades to come.
Relief and Social Services The demand on the Relief and Social
Services Department is growing quickly, and 84% of the Department's
resources go simply to provide food
and cash support to over 61,000 of the most destitute refugee
families.
While only 17% of refugee families are headed by women, almost half
of 3 special hardship families are female-headed, illustrating the
particular burden that women bear under such circumstances.
Shelter repair and reconstruction is entirely dependent upon extra
budgetary contributions, and the current period saw a significant
decrease in the Agency's ability to maintain refugee shelters. This
period we completed only 1.2% of the needed repair.
The Department continues its efforts in social services with dynamic
results. Support to a network of 102 community-based organizations
that address in particular the needs of women, children, youth and
disabled persons. Sixty-four Women's Programme Centres provide
awareness sessions, legal advice, skills training, and day-care.
Many generate their own income, creating jobs as well and improving
the sustainability of programs. Thirty-eight Community
Rehabilitation Centres provide services to the families of some
25,000 refugees with disabilities through a social approach that
involves the participation of families, the community, and the
integration of children into the school system. This is
a radical departure from the historical approach of segregating the
disabled.
Micro-finance and Micro-credit A shining light in our program
activity is the self-financing micro-credit program, which provides
credit to support small businesses and micro enterprises, creating
jobs, economically empowering women and alleviating poverty. It is
now the largest source of credit in the West Bank and Gaza Strip,
and is expanding in Jordan and Syria. Of the $12 million disbursed
in the reporting period, 31% of almost 16,000 loans were to women.
Women participating in the solidarity-group lending
product in Gaza had a 93% rate of repayment. This is quite
remarkable in itself, but even more so when one considers the
conditions of turmoil and economic hardship under which these women
live.
Mr. Chairman,
2) UNRWA emergency
activities in the occupied Palestinian territory In addition to the
challenges posed by running such a large and varied program, UNRWA
faces enormous hurdles in the occupied Palestinian territory that
have developed as a result of violence, curfews and closures.
UNRWA launched its Emergency Program in 2000, at the beginning of
the intifada, and strives to mitigate some of the hardship of the
crisis. During the past year, the Agency provided food aid to over
1.3 million refugees and the emergency job creation program
generated over 1,823,000 work days. The Agency provided temporary
accommodation and emergency assistance, including tents, food,
water, blankets and kitchen kits to families when their houses were
destroyed, and launched several rehousing projects giving refugees
new dwellings. Last year I expressed concern over the building of
the wall/fence in the West Bank. I should have expressed alarm. This
separation barrier is having severe detrimental effects on the
Palestinian population and UNRWA operations. Refugee families are
cut off from agricultural land, and access to schools and health
facilities is more difficult. The permit regime for the "seam zone"
consists of 13 different types of permits.
Residents require permits to live in their own houses, some of which
are valid for only three months. UNRWA is undertaking a series of
surveys to determine how the barrier is affecting refugees and how
UNRWA can best adapt its services. For example, the number of mobile
clinics was increased, providing health care to over 91,000 patients
who could not reach UNRWA health care facilities due to movement
restrictions in the
West Bank. This past year has unfortunately seen a dramatic increase
in the scale of
military operations in the Gaza Strip. In May 2004, the IDF
conducted large-scale incursions into densely-populated areas of
Rafah, destroying the housing of some 710 families as well as
infrastructure, agricultural land and other private and commercial
enterprises. The rate of house demolitions this year is
unprecedented: an average of 45 people a day are made homeless. The
rate of fatalities in Gaza is even more astounding: Israeli forces
killed an average of 60 per month so far this year in Gaza. The
largest incursion yet followed "kassam" rocket attacks1 launched
from the Gaza Strip, some of which killed a number of Israeli
civilians, three of whom were children. The operation named "Days of
Penitence," occurred between 28 Sept and 15 October. Two-hundred
armoured vehicles entered the towns, villages and refugee camps of
the northern
Gaza Strip, launched raids into civilian areas, fired on Palestinian
targets from the air and ground, sealed off neighbourhoods and
restricted the movement of civilians and humanitarian / emergency
relief workers. Almost 200 homes were destroyed or sustained damage.
Thirty-six thousand Palestinians were under siege, with access
restricted to schools, health-care facilities, and sources of food.
One-hundred and seven people were killed and 431injured.
Twenty-seven of those killed were children. The dead include
nine UNRWA pupils and two teachers. In the last two years, three
young girls have been killed by IDF gunfire while actually sitting
at their school desks. I doubt anyone would argue that such
indiscriminate and disproportionate destruction, and disregard for
life do not constitute grave violations of humanitarian law.
Children, above all, deserve the utmost protection and are accorded
such by human rights law and international humanitarian
law. Israel has full military control over the Gaza Strip and is
obliged to bring perpetrators of crime to justice in accordance with
international law, as well as its own legal standards. Israel is
responsible for the safety of these children.
While "Days of Penitence" attracted the attention of the
international media, incursions, house demolitions, air-strikes and
extra-judicial killings have continued. And we continue the body
counts and assessments of material damage. In the last two weeks, an
additional 41 people have been killed, 132 injured and 378 people
have been rendered homeless. On Thursday, Rania Iyad Arrad, age 9,
was killed on her way to an UNRWA school in Khan Younis. The
violence is relentless and reprehensible. The irony is that these
lives and communities have to be rebuilt and the international
community, through humanitarian organizations, will bear the
material costs. UNRWA simply cannot keep up. We send claims for
destruction of our facilities to the Government of Israel, but do
not
receive compensation or even a reply. And these bills represent but
a fraction of the cost to the Palestine refugee community.
3) Developments within
the Agency
UNRWA remains under considerable financial constraint. This is most
true of the Emergency Programme, which currently has received
pledges for only 45% of its budget. While the funding gap of the
General Fund and Project Budget is less significant, this is largely
because we have been buoyed by the favourable Euro-Dollar rate,
which could, just as easily, reverse itself. There has been no
increase in funding in real terms. The Agency launched two
initiatives in the reporting period designed to increase voluntary
contributions and widen its donor base. One was the decision to give
a strong, new thrust to our fund-raising efforts in the Arab World.
From a base in Abu Dhabi, the Agency now has greater
outreach capacity among the Gulf States. Second, the Agency is in
the process of establishing two country support groups, one in Spain
the other in the USA. These "Friends of UNRWA" associations
will work closely with local governments, the private sector and
individual donors to raise funds and improve understanding of the
Agency's work.
As you know, an important development this year was the holding of a
large international conference in Geneva at the invitation of the
Swiss government designed to strengthen our partnerships with
stakeholders. Three hundred delegates gathered on 7-8 June for the
largest conference on the Palestine refugee issue in 56 years.
Discussions centred on the
well-being of Palestine refugee children, housing, infrastructure
and the environment in refugee camps, the socio-economic development
of the refugees, and the management and mobilization of resources on
behalf of the refugees. Most notably, a structural linkage was set
between the Conference and UNRWA's future planning process to ensure
that the
strongest recommendations from the Conference will be reflected in
the Agency's Medium Term Plan for 2005-2009, and its budget
preparation processes. The "Geneva Follow-up", as we call it, has
become a real working partnership with engaged donors, host
authorities and other important stakeholders, resulting in intensive
budget discussions and working group sessions, particularly on
stakeholder relations and the protection of children. Rather than a
one-time event, the Geneva Conference represents the beginning of a
dynamic process that can only lead to improvements in UNRWA's
effectiveness. An important result of these consultations to date
has been the agreement with the University of
Geneva to develop data collection and analysis tools that will
vastly enhance our ability to assess, represent and improve our
programmes.
4) UNRWA's working
environment and the road ahead The Agency continues to face severe
operational obstacles in carrying out its humanitarian mandate in
the oPt. Closures and checkpoint delays prevent schools from
operating normally as teachers and students
regularly can not reach schools. Doctors and nurses can often not
reach their clinics. Trucks carrying humanitarian supplies can not
reach their destinations in time, ambulances are delayed or
prevented from moving patients. Agency vehicles are fired on, staff
members are injured, beaten, or humiliated by Israeli soldiers.
Incursions by the IDF have led to destruction of equipment in UNRWA
schools, training centres and health care facilities. These
facilities have also been seized and used by the IDF as temporary
detention and interrogation centres. UNRWA staff members have
routinely been denied free movement in and out of the Gaza Strip for
unspecified reasons, often for extended periods, without
explanation. During the reporting period, 34 staff members from the
West Bank and Gaza Strip were detained by the Israeli authorities,
and there are now 23 in detention. In most cases the Agency was not
provided with adequate
or timely information as to the reasons for the arrest/detention of
its staff members, and was systematically refused access to them.
Restrictions on freedom of movement of UNRWA staff in the occupied
Palestinian territory have seriously impeded the effectiveness of
the organization's operations. These include external closure of the
West
Bank and Gaza Strip, imposition of curfews and internal closures,
checkpoints, and the continuation of cumbersome procedures requiring
permits and magnetic ID cards for West Bank staff entering East
Jerusalem. Further restrictions are imposed at borders, most
significantly the Erez crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip.
The Agency has also had significant problems moving containers with
humanitarian commodities from Ashdod into the Gaza Strip, and empty
containers out of the Gaza Strip. The number of stranded containers
has ranged between 400 and 600 since April of this year. The
accumulated
costs of these delays to UNRWA since the beginning of the crisis
will soon reach $5 million. All these restrictions are inconsistent
with 1946 Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United
Nations, as well as the Comay-Michelmore bilateral agreement where
Israel agreed to "facilitate the task of UNRWA."
In July of this year,
the unpredictability of the Erez passage into the Gaza Strip, and
the increasing danger caused by major Israeli military operations in
its vicinity led to the decision by the UN as a whole to move into
security Phase IV, necessitating the temporary relocation of most
international staff from the Agency's Gaza headquarters to Jerusalem
and Amman. One can well imagine the disruption to even routine work
caused by lack of office space, support staff, filing systems,
difficulty in holding meetings, and so on.
The future is uncertain, not only for UNRWA and its ability to
effectively fulfill its mandate, but also for the Palestine
refugees, particularly those in the Gaza Strip. Regarding the
proposed disengagement by Israel from the Gaza Strip, I fear that a
disengagement that is not accompanied by a radical easing of
movement for both people and goods, will exacerbate economic
stagnation, and the donor community will continue to bear the
burden of the humanitarian crisis. Operational constraints and
program constraints are at an all-time high I continue to be
thankful for the dedication of UNRWA area staff members,
who perform their jobs at great personal risk, are paid much less
than other UN local staff and are the only UN employees in the area
not receiving hazard pay. I ask again for your support in addressing
this anomalous situation.
On top of all these strains, UNRWA has been coping with a series of
unfortunate and unfair accusations by the IDF and Israeli government
officials, culminating in the demand for my withdrawal from post. I
do not wish to dwell on the details, but simply ask that we all move
forward in a productive manner that benefits all people of the
region. I hope that
any further concerns the Government of Israel may have will be dealt
with between us, rather than through campaigns in the press. Our
tasks are enormous, and we need to devote our energies to overcoming
difficulties, not creating them. I look forward to working in a
spirit of cooperation and mutual respect.
Mr. Chairman,
The annual report before
you has been examined by UNRWA's Advisory Commission on 30 September
in Amman, Jordan. The Advisory Commission's letter is contained in
the report . I hope you have found the report useful in assessing
the Agency's performance during the last year. I stand ready to
respond to any questions the members of this Committee may have.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
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