UNRWA: Qatar Fund for Development Signs US$ 20 million core contribution agreement to support UNRWA

17 June 2025

Today, the Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD) and UNRWA signed a core contribution agreement of US$ 20 million to support the Agency’s work in 2025–2026 across the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt), Syria, Lebanon and Jordan.

This contribution will help UNWRA to continue its essential human development work in support of Palestine Refugees, especially in the core areas of primary healthcare and education.

The Qatari contribution will also support UNRWA’s humanitarian operations in the Gaza Strip, where the Agency remains a critical part of the UN response, over twenty months into a brutal war. Despite anti-UNRWA legislation passed by the Israeli Knesset posing immense challenges to the Agency’s operations in the oPt, schools and health centers continue to operate, in some cases through altered modalities.

The signing ceremony was witnessed by H.E. Sheikh Thani bin Hamad Al Thani, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Qatar Fund for Development, and H.E. Mrs. Maryam bint Ali bin Nasser Al Misnad, Minister of State for International Cooperation and Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Qatar Fund for Development. The agreement was signed by Mr. Fahad bin Hamad Al Sulaiti, Director General of the Qatar Fund for Development, and H.E. Mr. Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of UNRWA.

On the occasion of signing the agreement, Mr. Fahad bin Hamad Al-Sulaiti, Director General of QFFD, stated: “this agreement reaffirms the State of Qatar’s unwavering commitment to supporting the brotherly Palestinian people amid the most severe humanitarian crisis of our time. Our contribution to UNRWA reflects a long-standing partnership dedicated to ensuring the continued delivery of essential services, preserving the dignity of refugees, and reinforcing their resilience. We firmly believe that international solidarity and a shared sense of responsibility are fundamental to an effective humanitarian response that paves the way for a more stable and prosperous future”.

UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini stated: “Qatar was the first Arab country to sign a multiyear agreement with UNRWA in December 2018. The consistent and generous support of the Qatar Fund for Development (QFFD) reflects the unwavering commitment of Qatar to Palestine Refugees in the occupied Palestinian territory and across the region. I hope that other Arab countries will also provide additional contributions to UNRWA at a time of unprecedented financial precarity and ongoing political attacks.  I look forward to reinforcing our valuable partnership with QFFD and the State of Qatar.”