Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what recent discussions she has had with her US counterparts on their decision to withdraw funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency.

I discussed the US withdrawal of funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency in the Near East (UNRWA) with the US President’s Middle East Envoy, Jason Greenblatt, on 28 September 2018. The UK has been clear that we are concerned about the impact of US cuts to UNRWA on regional stability and services to Palestinian refugees. UK officials continue to engage with the US on this matter, and we will continue to work with UNRWA and other donors to help place the Agency on a more secure financial footing.