Kuwaiti grant of $21.5 million to Palestinian refugees in Lebanon

Kuwait, through its Fund for Arab Economic Development, announced the signing of two grant agreements with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) worth $21.5 million to contribute to financing the health program for Palestinian refugees in Lebanon and the agency's general budget.

The fund said in a post on its website yesterday, Thursday, that "the first grant under which the fund provides $ 1.5 million to contribute to financing the UNRWA health program in Lebanon," adding that it will also cover "treatment expenses in hospitals for about 2,936 patients who need medical care from cancer and cardiovascular diseases, intensive care and other services."

It explained that the second grant is worth $20 million to support UNRWA's general program budget for the years 2021 and 2022, and the Kuwait Development Fund pointed out in its statement that "this financial support helps UNRWA to continue providing vital humanitarian services to Palestine refugees in Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Gaza, and the West Bank, which includes East Jerusalem."

The Kuwait Fund explained that these contributions “come within the framework of the State of Kuwait’s pledge during the third ministerial strategic dialogue on the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, which was held on October 15, 2020 to support its goals aimed at ensuring and protecting Palestinian refugees, ensuring the delivery of aid and providing them with basic services in order to lead a decent life."