United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, UNRWA was established by United Nations General Assembly Resolution 302 (IV) of 8 December 1949 (A/RES/302 (IV)) to carry out direct relief and works programmes for Palestine refugees. UNRWA has its headquarters in Gaza and Amman, with field offices in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

Activities

UNRWA was founded to carry out relief and works programmes for Palestine refugees following the Arab-Israeli conflict in 1948. It was created as a provisional organization but, as a consequence of the inability of the international community and the immediate parties to the Middle East conflict to find a political solution and to solve the problem of Palestine's refugees, it has become the most important permanent relief agency in the area.

UNRWA's work is to

• provide basic humanitarian services to the Palestinian refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip
• provide the refugees with basic assistance in health care, education and other social areas.

With the exception of a small amount from the regular budget of the UN, UNRWA is almost exclusively financed through voluntary contributions.

More on UNRWA

• UNRWA website. Background information, news, maps, statistics, full text documents and reports.
• UN General Asembly Resolutions on UNRWA.
• UNRWA submits an annual report to the ECOSOC in the documentary series Economic and Social Council Official Records. Supplement No. 13. It provides a summary of UNRWA's programme and activities with references to relevant documents and reports.
• A summary of the work of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East for a given year with references to essential documents can be accessed through the Yearbook of the United Nations, Part One, Political and Security Questions, Middle East.