Foreign Minister Emma Bonino met Filippo Grandi, the highest-ranking Italian official in the United Nations system, at the Farnesina today. Mr. Grandi has been Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) since January 2010. The UN Assembly General set up the UNRWA in 1949 to meet the basic needs of Palestinian refugees.
“The UNRWA plays a vital role in improving the living conditions of 5 million Palestinian refugees through basic education services and free health care”, commented Minister Bonino. She added that “Italy has always supported UNRWA’s mandate and its work, which our country views as a benchmark for our Development Cooperation initiatives in the region”.
Italy has contributed over 105 million dollars to the UNRWA budget since 2000, a point underscored by Emma Bonino. She noted that for 2013 our contribution amounts to around 8 million euros, on a par with the major European countries and an increase on recent years.
Minister Bonino and Commissioner-General Grandi also had an in-depth exchange of views on the situation in the Middle East, most notably the Syrian crisis and the outlook for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.
