2 December 2010
Damascus
Delegates representing UNRWA’s Advisory Commission member states today began a two-day visit to UNRWA in Syria. Highlights of the trip will include a tour of UNRWA’s Damascus Training Centre.
Mr Roger Hearn, Director of UNRWA Affairs in Syria, will brief the delegation on UNRWA’s work and the challenges it continues to face. Mr Hearn will warmly thank the participants for the vital support provided by their governments to UNRWA, saying: “Without the continued commitment your countries have demonstrated, the hardship of the Palestinian refugee community would be immeasurably greater.”
In his welcome to the participants, Mr 'Ali Mustafa, Director-General of the General Authority for Palestinian Arab Refugees (GAPAR), will thank Syria for its solidarity with the Palestinian people and the close co-operation between the Syrian government and UNRWA.
UNRWA’s EU-funded youth employment and empowerment project is a main feature of the group’s itinerary. They will also visit UNRWA schools and facilities in the Damascus area.
On their final day in Syria, Commission members will proceed to Dera’a Camp to gain a better understanding of the specific environmental health difficulties faced by camp residents.
UNRWA is a humanitarian and human development agency, providing education, health care, social services, micro-credit and emergency relief to over 4.7 million registered refugees living in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and the Syrian Arab Republic. In Syria, UNRWA provides assistance to over 470,000 refugees.
-ENDS-
For information only Not an official record
For further information please contact:
Hala Mukhles
UNRWA Public Information Officer
Office: +963 (0)11 613 3035 ext. 314
Mobile: + 963 (0)940 888103
Email: hmukhles@unrwa.org
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