UNRWA and UNICEF renew agreement to further support Palestine refugee children

UNICEF and UNRWA said in a press statement that they will primarily cooperate in the fields of child and social protection, education, health, advocacy and emergency preparedness.

“Joining efforts this way will greatly improve and increase the kind of support and advocacy that Palestine refugees get,” said Leni Stenseth, UNRWA Deputy Commissioner-General. “As an Agency that knows first-hand the trauma that refugee children can face, UNRWA strongly believes that a combination of protection, health, education and advocacy can mitigate the impact of conflicts and violence on children and contribute to their wellbeing.”

Building on the long-standing cooperation on evidence generation for children, the agencies will conduct studies, situation analysis of women and children, research and promote social change through addressing harmful social and gender norms and practices. The cooperation enhances humanitarian coordination including in time of crisis, increasing capacity to analyse risks and increase preparedness to mitigate crises.

“We are delighted to renew our commitment to help Palestine refugees through this agreement. UNICEF and UNRWA have been cooperating for decades. With this agreement we will continue advancing child-sensitive programmes, providing technical assistance, increase support for digital learning, delivery of COVID-19 vaccines and raising awareness on vaccines safety and joint advocacy on children’s rights” said Ted Chaiban, UNICEF Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa.

The four-year agreement (from 2022 to 2025) will cover the following areas: Child protection (provision of technical assistance, policy advice and joint advocacy and programming),  Education (focusing on continuity of learning including in time of crisis, digital learning, addressing violence in schools and life-skills development for young people including for preparation to join the labour market) and Social Protection to mitigate the impact of poverty including through financial cash assistance to families.

It will also cover Health (maternal and child health, childhood illness management, malnutrition, immunization, response to the COVID-19 pandemic including the delivery of vaccines), Evidence generation to support programming for children, Advocacy and Communications, Social Norms & Behavioural Change in addition to Emergency Preparedness and Response.