United Nations Relief and Work Agency - June 30, 2009 - Back to Resources Page

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Executive Summary This document outlines UNRWA’s updated emergency plans for Palestine refugees in Gaza during 2009. It supersedes the Agency’s original Quick Response Plan to Restore Critical Services to Refugees in Gaza (QRP), which covered the period January – September 2009, and reflects funding needs until the end of this calendar year. It is the product of a comprehensive review of UNRWA’s emergency interventions, conducted as part of the recent Consolidated Appeals (CAP) Mid Year Review process for the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt).

The review has resulted in an increase in UNRWA’s emergency funding requirements in Gaza from US$345.9 million to US$371.3 million. Despite a rapid and generous donor response, additional funds are needed urgently: at the time of writing, the Agency was still facing a shortfall of around US$179 million, or just under half of all budgeted needs. Further, of total contributions of US$192 million, only US$122 million had been received, limiting UNRWA’s ability to expand core emergency programmes to address increased needs.

Budget increases at mid-year point are mainly due to the extension of nine month QRP programmes to cover the final quarter of the year; however, they also reflect more substantive adjustments in programme goals and activity plans, in particular in the key areas of shelter repair and cash assistance. All changes are explained in detail below1.

On another level, the need for additional funds is a consequence of Israel’s continued policies of closure and isolation, which forestall prospects for Palestinian private sector recovery and post-war rehabilitation and serve to prolong aid dependency and destitution amongst a majority of the population. By extension, increases in humanitarian aid budgets also reflect the continued failure of the international community to protect and guarantee the basic human rights of Palestinians, including refugees who represent around two-thirds of Gaza’s population, as enshrined under international law.

Although sporadic Israeli-Palestinian clashes continue, the security situation in Gaza has stabilized in the past five months. However, living conditions remain grim, and for most of the 1.5 million residents have not recovered to pre-war levels. The recent period has seen little substantive movement by Israel on relaxing restrictions on access and movement of people and goods into and out of Gaza. Passenger terminals are effectively closed, whilst exports remain prohibited and the volume of materials entering Gaza is far lower than in the months leading up to the war. Imports of other basic supplies, including foodstuffs, agricultural inputs and educational materials, are also routinely banned, and the supply of fuel lags far below assessed needs.

Critically, Israel’s blockade extends to the supplies and equipment needed to rebuild homes and infrastructure and for the rehabilitation of the construction sector and other industries and businesses ravaged by the recent war and prolonged trade embargo. Assessments of damages caused during the war to homes, property and infrastructure are close to completion – a result of extensive and coordinated efforts between relief and development partners in Gaza. However, repair and rehabilitation programmes, including those of UNRWA, are severely constrained and six months on from the end of the war, many thousands are yet to return to their homes.

The recent war has significantly exacerbated the protracted socio-economic crisis facing Gaza. The widespread destruction of household and productive assets and exposure of many thousands to extremely traumatic events has shattered many households and communities. In such conditions, large scale humanitarian programmes continue to have a vital role to play in mitigating the worst impacts of the crisis. This includes interventions that ensure basic sustenance and minimum income levels for the most vulnerable as well as targeted programmes of support for those whose mental, physical or psycho-social health has been most affected.

Assessments and surveys continue to emphasize the importance of relief efforts. However, despite their effectiveness in meeting immediate needs, such activities can do little to arrest a persistent and protracted decline in living conditions in Gaza. Indeed, there remains little likelihood of any real and sustained improvements in Gaza until the advent of a new post-war political climate that leads to the lifting of border closures, the normal functioning of the banking sector and the relaxation of trade restrictions.

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United Nations Relief and Work Agency - June 30, 2009 - Back to Resources Page