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UNRWA May 9, 2005
In November 1948, the United Nations formed an immediate relief agency that became known as the Palestine Refugee Relief Agency, mandated to provide food, health services, and housing to refugees. As the agency failed to cope with the massive demand, it was transformed into a larger body, which is now known as UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East). UNRWA is mandated to provide relief and create jobs, but it has never been able to do this entirely. Today, UNRWA functions in the West Bank, Gaza, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria, but not all refugees are registered with UNRWA. Even for those who are, the organization cannot provide relief or employment at a sufficient level. Assistance, Not Protection It is a common mistake that UNRWA is a protection agency. UNRWA, in fact, has neither the mandate nor the ability to provide protection for refugees; it is simply mandated to be an assistance agency. After 1948, the UN established the UN Conciliation Commission on Palestine (UNCCP), but this body became defunct early on, with no other organization taking over responsibility for Palestinian refugees. As bloody events from Gaza to Lebanon to Jordan have shown, UNRWA cannot provide protection for Palestinians. In addition to not being able to provide physical protection from conflict, UNRWA has no power to force host governments to give residency rights, travel documents, and freedom of movement, rights that have been enshrined in international law. An International Concern Arab countries playing host to Palestinians have insisted all along that the Palestinian refugee crisis is an international issue, and that they will not fund UNRWA alone. The position of the Arab League has always been that the refugee crisis is not theirs alone to deal with, and that permanent integration of Palestinians into Arab countries is not the solution. Individual Arab host countries have also followed different paths at different times in supporting and enabling UNRWA action in their countries (see case studies). See the UNRWA Web site. External links last accessed January 18, 2005.
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