Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with other donor countries about providing new funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNWRA) following UNWRA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini’s forecast on 20 June of likely cuts to UNWRA's service provision.

We are longstanding supporters of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), providing essential humanitarian support to Palestinian refugees across its five zones of operation. Our annual contribution to their programme budget helps UNRWA provide education to over 533,000 children a year (half of them girls), and access to health services for 3.5 million Palestinian refugees. We are aware of UNRWA's financial challenges and frequently raise this with MENA regional partners at ministerial level. To that end, the UK Government is working with UNRWA and other international donors to help ensure its sustainability.