PALESTINE
Sat 18 May 2024 2:47 pm - Jerusalem Time
Austria cancels the freeze on funding for UNRWA
Austria announced the cancellation of its previous decision to freeze its funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Refugees (UNRWA), and will release the funds allocated to finance it.
Vienna's decision, according to Reuters, comes after UNRWA developed an action plan to ensure its neutrality, strengthen its internal reviews, and improve how it monitors its employees.
The Austrian Foreign Ministry said: “After careful analysis of the action plan, we will disburse funding to UNRWA again.”
It added that funding worth a total of 3.4 million euros ($3.70 million) was included in the 2024 budget, and the first payment is scheduled to be disbursed in the summer.
Austria was one of the donor countries that froze funding worth about $450 million.
Germany announced last month that it would resume cooperation with UNRWA following a report led by former Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna on UNRWA's procedures related to ensuring adherence to the principles of neutrality.
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Austria cancels the freeze on funding for UNRWA