In Syria, head of UN agency for Palestine refugees calls for protection to be strengthened

13 May 2016 - The head of the United Nations relief agency charged with the well-being of Palestinian refugees across the Middle East has just completed a two-day visit to Syria where he met with Palestine refugees and called for their protection to be strengthened.

"In the eyes of Rana and Isra, I saw the unspeakable trauma they have endured but also their determination to prevail," said Pierre Krähenbühl, the Commissioner-General of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), after meeting two young girls in a neighbourhood of Damascus, who were badly injured in a devastating double car-bomb in February.

A cross-line field trip to Yalda also allowed the Commissioner-General to meet with Palestine refugees from Yarmouk during distributions of food and hygiene materials, as well as medical consultations carried out by UNRWA. Many of the men, women and children present at the distribution live in Yarmouk camp itself and spoke of the ongoing extreme hardship and the many consequences of armed violence they are exposed to.

"UNRWA remains determined to resume direct distributions inside Yarmouk when the conditions permit. In the meantime, it is important that we are able to continue providing the life-saving support to Palestine refugees from Yarmouk in surrounding neighbourhoods," Mr. Krähenbühl emphasized.

During his visit to Damascus, the Commissioner-General met with Dr. Faisal Miqdad, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates; Omar Ghalawangi, the Deputy Prime Minister; Mrs. Rima al-Qadiri, the Minister of Social Affairs; and Mr. Ali Mustafa, Director-General of the General Administration for Palestine Arab Refugees (GAPAR).

UNRWA's Pierre Krähenbühl visits refugees of Yarmouk Camp in Syria. Credit: United Nations

In these meetings, Mr. Krähenbühl noted the improvements in the facilitation of humanitarian access to certain Palestine refugee communities. He called for steps to be taken to strengthen the protection of Palestine refugees and enable UNRWA to reach those most in need. He was encouraged by the indications he received that access will become possible to Khan Eshieh and Qudsaya.

In the midst of ongoing suffering faced by Palestine refugees in Syria, UNRWA is underlining that there are remarkable stories of hope. The Commissioner-General met with some 100 Palestinian boys and girls who had just exited Yarmouk camp to take their national exams. In his discussions with the students, he heard how essential it was to have preserved forms of access to education inside the devastated landscape of Yarmouk.

In Sayyeda Zeinab, Mr. Krähenbühl visited an UNRWA school being rebuilt in what was once an embattled neighbourhood of the Syrian capital.

"I am deeply proud of the efforts of my colleagues in Syria, who are so engaged to protect the right to education of Palestine refugee youth. I call on the world to join us in support of this formidable effort," he said.

"As steps are underway to try and resolve the wider Syria conflict, UNRWA staff in Damascus, Aleppo, Hama, Homs, Latakia and Dera'a are doing their utmost to provide crucial assistance and services to Palestine refugees," he added. "It is essential that their destiny, their plight, as well as their needs and expectations are not forgotten. Addressing these should be a priority for all."