FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
February 17, 2022

MEDIA CONTACT:
Jessica Sarstedt
jsarstedt@westendstrategy.com
(202) 802-1835  

US Civil Society Actors Support Biden Administration’s Restoration of Support for Palestine Refugees and UNRWA

WASHINGTON DC – Today, 18 major civil society organizations, led by UNRWA USA National Committee (UNRWA USA), sent a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken thanking the Biden administration for restoring humanitarian assistance to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).

“We were delighted by the strong show of support for UNRWA from across the entire spectrum of civil society actors,” stated Mara Kronenfeld, Executive Director of UNRWA USA. “Our letter serves as a counterpoint to specific members of Congress who continue a long-established pattern of inaccurate and unfounded criticisms of UNRWA. As the letter notes: respected outside organizations including the World Bank and UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), British Council, and the Multilateral Organization Performance Assessment Network, have validated both the effectiveness and cost-efficiency of UNRWA’s programs.”

The groups also praised the administration for reinforcing the importance of the UN-led multilateral system, ensuring that US humanitarian assistance is provided on the basis of need alone and not politics, and contributing to regional stability and security. The organizations expressed concern that the “goal of some of the Agency’s most vocal critics is to deny the very status of Palestinian refugees, and thereby limit the horizon of hope for a just and durable solution to their plight, the prerequisite for ending the UNRWA mission.”

Organizations that signed the letter include: UNRWA USA National Committee (UNRWA USA), American Baptist Churches USA, American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), Americans for Peace Now, Anera, Churches for Middle East Peace, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Friends Committee on National Legislation, Global Ministries of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) and United Church of Christ, Islamic Relief USA, J Street, Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns, NRC USA, Oxfam, Presbyterian Church (USA), Refugees International, The Episcopal Church, and Unitarian Universalist Association.

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UNRWA USA National Committee (UNRWA USA) is an independent nonprofit organization that provides support for the humanitarian work of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). UNRWA USA lifts up the voices, experiences, and humanity of Palestine refugees to secure American support for resources essential to every human being, for the promise of a better life. US taxpayers are eligible for tax deductions for donations made through UNRWA USA. 

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