Can the UN’s agency for Palestinian refugees survive?

Nearly six million people rely on UNRWA operations – the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East.

It provides food aid, healthcare, education and other essential services in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and the occupied Palestinian territories.

Fulfilling that mandate requires a huge amount of money, therefore UNRWA has launched an appeal for $1.6bn this year.

The agency has struggled to raise enough donations in the past.

What happens if donations do not come through?

And has UNRWA been stretched too thin?

Presenter: Rob Matheson

Guests:

Tamara Alrifai – UNRWA spokesperson

Marwan Kabalan – Head of policy analysis, Arab Center for Research & Policy Studies

Anne Irfan – Lecturer in interdisciplinary race, gender and postcolonial studies, University College London