Context:
Israel tells UN it is severing ties with Palestine aid agency
United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA):
- Created by the UN General Assembly in 1949.
- Objective – Provides relief, health, and education services to Palestinians displaced by the Arab-Israeli wars post-1948.
- Headquarters – Initially in Beirut (1950), moved to Vienna (1978), and then to the Gaza Strip (1996) post-Oslo Accords.
- Mandate extended until June 30, 2026.
- Services – Offers education, healthcare, social services, camp infrastructure improvements, microfinance, and emergency assistance.
- Fields of Operation – Operates in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the Gaza Strip, and the West Bank (including East Jerusalem).
- Supports over 5 million registered Palestinian refugees and their descendants from the 1948 and 1967 conflicts.
- Funding –
- Primarily funded by voluntary contributions from UN member states.
- Receives some funding from the UN’s regular budget for international staffing costs.
- Functioning – The chief officer, the commissioner-general, is the only leader of a UN agency to report directly to the General Assembly
- Appointed by the UN secretary-general with the approval of an Advisory Commission
Source: The Hindu
Previous Year Question
Consider the following statements:
1. Bidibidi is a large refugee settlement in north-western Kenya.
2. Some people who fled from South Sudan civil war live in Bidibidi.
3. Some people who fled from civil war in Somalia live in Dadaab refugee complex in Kenya.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
[UPSC Civil Service Exam – 2022 Prelims]
(a) 1 and 2
(b) 2 only
(c) 2 and 3
(d) 3 only
Answer: (c)
Explanation:
Statement 1 is not correct. Bidibidi refugee camp is located along the South Sudan border in Uganda.
