S&D President, Gianni Pittella, receives a message from a Palestinian child in Gaza and calls for immediate financial support to UNRWA schools:
"I was really moved to receive the message from a Palestinian child this morning in a sealed bottle which travelled around the world from the Gaza Strip to Brussels.
"This message is a strong symbol of a desperate young generation of Palestinians living in Gaza, the largest open air prison in the world.
"Many children in Gaza have already lived through several rounds of violence in their young lives, often leading to serious physical and mental consequences. One year after the 2014 summer war, many of them still have no shelter. But, as UNRWA Commissioner-General Pierre Krähenbühl reminded me, they still have dreams and a good education is key to making these dreams a reality.
"UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East) continues its heroic efforts in the Middle East but is in an alarming situation today. If no solution to its budget deficit is found, the agency will be unable – for the first time in its history – to reopen its schools in mid-August in Jordan and then in other countries in the region. This cannot be allowed to happen.
"Access to education must be a priority in humanitarian emergencies. We, therefore, urge the EU and the international community to provide immediate additional funding to UNRWA in order to keep its schools – strong symbols of hope for a better future in the Gaza Strip, Syria and other parts of the Middle East - alive.
"We will also do our best to address and solve the regular problems of under planning EU financial support to UNRWA in the Union's budget. The EU has to fully honour its commitment made in the 2014 multi-annual joint declaration to UNRWA."
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