The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) is a United Nations organisation responsible for direct service provision to Palestine refugees, pending a just and lasting solution to their plight. UNRWA’s mission is enshrined in its temporary mandate that dates back to United Nations General Assembly Resolution 302 IV of 8 December 1949. The Agency began operations on 1 May 1950. UNRWA’s mandate is periodically extended for periods of three years, most recently until 2026. UNRWA’s comparative advantage is enshrined in its mandate.
UNRWA’s activities are focused on the direct delivery to eligible persons of basic education, primary health care, relief and social services, infrastructure and camp improvement, microfinance, protection and emergency assistance, including in situations of armed conflict. UNRWA does not have a mandate to administer refugee camps, nor to protect the physical security of Palestine refugees. On 31 December 2022, UNRWA had registered 6.65 million eligible persons, an increase of eight percent compared with 2018. Of these, 38 per cent are in Jordan, 26 per cent in the Gaza Strip, 17 per cent in the West Bank (including East Jerusalem), 10 per cent in Syria, and 8 per cent in Lebanon. The differences in terms of number of eligible persons and their needs differs substantially between and within the five areas of operations. Of the 6.65 million eligible persons registered, approximately 2.5 million receive UNRWA assistance.
