LPDC STATEMENT OF CLARIFICATION
In Monday’s issue of Al-Akhbar newspaper, an article was written by journalist Amal Al Khalil titled “UNRWA, facing a test of shortfall and waste.” The article includes an interview with the Chairman of the Lebanese Palestinian Dialogue Committee, Dr. Bassel Al Hassan. The article states the following, “The head of the Lebanese Palestinian Dialogue Committee, Dr. Bassel Al Hassan, who represents Lebanon at the Cairo meeting, has a different assessment of the UNRWA crisis.” Dr. Al Hassan informed Al-Akhbar that the crisis “is not about stopping funding, but rather about refugee needs increasing. We are putting pressure to increase funding, and transferring the budget based off of donor funding, into a fixed budget.”
However, a financial injection will not guarantee permanent financial stability, according to Al Hassan, who complains of “mismanagement and corruption which lead to an excessive waste of funds. While Palestinians upset UNRWA with random forms of employment and services.”
The Committee clarifies that the statement in the article regarding “mismanagement and corruption which lead to an excessive waste of funds” are attributed to some donors within the context of justifying their decrease in funding. The LPDC Chairman confirms that work is also ongoing to obtain sustainable support to address the financial gap in UNRWA’s budget.
With regard to the quote of the LPDC Chairman, it must be noted that the statement refers literally to “Some” Palestinian parties who upset UNRWA, and not Palestinians in Lebanon. This was reaffirmed by Lebanon’s representative at the Conference of Supervisors of Palestinian Affairs in the Arab Host countries, which is currently taking place in Cairo, Egypt.
The following are Lebanon’s positions regarding UNRWA, expressed through its chairmanship of the UNRWA Advisory Commission and at international and Arab conferences. These statements are issued exclusively by the LPDC media office.
LPDC Chairman Dr. Bassel Al Hassan’s opening speech at the Advisory Commission on UNRWA:
Lebanon’s speech before the Conference of Supervisors of Palestinian Affairs in the Host Arab countries:
Previous statements of clarification: