Report of the Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees
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I I REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER-GENERAL OF THE UNITED NATIONS RELIEF AND WORKS AGENCY FOR PALESTINE REFUGEES. IN THE---NEAR EAST 1 July 1976 - 30 June 1977 GENERAL ASSEMBLY OFFICIAL RECORDS: THIRTY-SECOND SESSION SUPPlEMENT No. 13 (A/32/13) UNITED NATIONS New York, 1977 I NOTE Symbols of United Nations documents are composed of capital letters combined with tlgures. Mention ofsuch a symbol indicates a reference to a United Nations document. • III LOriginal: Arabic/English/French/ /9 September 197'1/ COHT:J:NTS Paragr~Fhs Pa~e Chapter Letter of transmittal •••.•••••••••.•• vi Letter from the Chairman of the Advisory Commission of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East .•••.. viii INTRODUCTIon 1 - 28 1 General ••• ... 1 - 5 1 6 2 Agency ~rogrammes •. '. ... Finmlcing the programmes .. .. 7 - 12 3 26 5 Special problel~ .. .. .. 13 - Conclusion 27 - 28 9 I. REPORT OF THE OPERATIONS OF THE AGE~Cy'FROM 1 JULY 1976 TO 30 JUNE 1977 . 29 - 170 11 A. General. ...•.•.. 29 - 37 11 Assistance from voluntary agencies and other non-governmental organizations ..••. 30 - 31 11 TIelations with other or~ans of the Dnited Nations system •••..• 32 - 37 11 B. Education and training services . .. 38 - 65 12 General education •.••••• 40 - 50 12 Vocational and technical education . ... 51 - 55 15 Teacher training .•.• ... 56 - 64 16 University scholarships • . 65 19 C. Relief services .••.• .. ... ... 66 - 98 19 Eligibility, registration and basic rations . 68 - 71 19 Camps and shelters 72 - 89 21 98 24 ~'ielfare . .. ... .. 90 - -iii- CONTDNTS (continued) ; .Chapter Para~raphs r~ D. Health services ·· · · · · · · · · · · 99 - 134 26 Control of cO~llunicable diseases 106 - 109 27 J:.iaterna1 and child health 110 - 115 28 ~ · · · · Nursine services 116 - 117 29 7i · · · 4 Environmental health · · · · 118 - 122 29 Nutrition including suppler..1entary feedil1C; · ·· · · 123 - 131 30 ii Ivledica1 .and paramedical education and traininE\ · · 132 - 134 32 l E. Common services and general administration ·· · · 135 - 141 33 l F. Lep;al matters · · · · · 142 - 155 35 2 The A~encyl s staff ···· 142 - 150 35 3 lJ.1he Agency i s !Jremises · ··· ····· · 151 - 153 37 5 Claims against Governments ana. other le!!a1 9 matters . ·· ·· · · · · · · 154 - 155 38 G. Financial operations ·· 156 - 170 38 1 · II. BUDGET FOR 1978 AI~D REVISED BUDGET FOR 1977 171 - 219 44 1 • · A. Introduction · · · · · · · ·· · · · ·· 171 - lOO 44 1 Recurrent expenditure · · · ·· ·· ·· · · 175 45 Non-recurrent e:xpenditure 176 45 .1 · · · · · · · General .. · · ··· · · · · ··· · · 177 - 100 45 .2 B. Budget estimates (tables A, B and C) 181 - 217 46 ;. .2 Relief services 182 188 50 .5 · · · · ·· · Health services 189 - 197 51 .6 · · · :8ducation and training services .. 198 - 205 53 L9 · ·· · · Cot!Iilon costs · ·· · ·· · · 206 - 215 54 L9 Other costs · · · 216 - 217 56 L9 C. Financing the budget - 1977 and 1978 · · · · 218 - 219 56 ~1 ~4 -iv- CONTENTS (continued) ANNEXES 26 I. Ta.bles 1-20 ......... .. •• • • •• ••• • ·.. 59 27 28 11. Pertinent resolutions. reports and other documents of the General Assembly and other United Nations bodies .••.. • •• • 89 29 29 Ill. Resolution WHA30. 31 adopted b~r the 'thirtieth vTorld Health Assembly on 18 M8J 1911 .........•....••. ·.. 92 30 IV. Resolution 1.142 adopted by the General Conference of the 32 United Nations Educational. Scientific and CUltural Organization at .its nineteenth sessicn .. ......•...•.• .. ...•. 33 35 35 37 38 38 44 44 45 45 45 46 50 51 53 54 56 56 -v- ·- .in a; LETTER OF TRMYSHITTAL 'it a: 1 reprl prep! 22 August 1977 , Sir, I have the honour to submit my annual report to the General Assembly on the work of the United i~a.tions Relief al'ld i'lorks Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Hear East (UNRIlA) for the period 1 ",Tuly 1976 to 30 June 1977 in compliance with the request in paragraph 21 of resolution 302 (IV) of 8 December 1949 and paragraph 8 of resolution 1315 (XIII) of 12 December 1950. ~ As ~ predecessor has done in recent years, in the intrOduction to the report I invite the 'General Assembly's attention to the serious finnncial difficulties faced by the Agency. I describe new income solicitation procedures which the Agency is puttin,':; into effect in part this year and .Till institute in full in 1978, if the General Assemb~ extends the Aeencyis mandate beyond 30 June 1978. As these procedures are implemented the Agency will l~eep the W'orl-dng Group on the Financing of the United Hations Relief and ioJ'orks Agency for Palestine Refugees informed of the results and seek the Group's advice and, as needed, its assistance. In addition to the Agency's financial difficulties, the introduction briefly describes two other special problems: the effect on the Agency's operations of the conflict in Lebanon, and matters of principle related to Aaency staff and premises. Chapter I of the report describes the Agency's programmes and how they developed during the year which ended on 30 June 1977. • Chap"iier II presents the Agency's bUdget for 1978, for consideration by the General Assemb~ at its forthcoming session, 8..L"ld the revised budget for 1977. Of the four &'lnexes to the report, the first contains statistical data on various aspects of the Agencyis work, the second lists pertinent resolutions ~ reports and other documents of the General Assembly and other United Nations bodies, the third reproduces resolution WHA30.37 adopted by the ilo~ld Health Assembly: and the fourth reproduces resolution 1.142 adopted by the UNESCO General Conference. The Advisory Commission of UNRWA examined this report in draft. Its views are set forth in .a letter dated 10 August 1977 from its Chairman, of which I enclose a copy. I have had the benefit of the advice of the members of the Comwission but it should not be assumed that the Governments represented on the Commission necessarily subscribe to all of the views I have expressed. The President of the General Assembly United I~ations Hew York -·vi- A major part of the Agency's operations during the past year has been conducted ,in areas under the, control of the Government of Israel. Consequently I considered -it appropriate to continue 'the practice of shOwing'the report, in dra.ft, to its representatives also and I have taken their views and comments into account in preparing the final text. Accept, Sir, the assurances of my highest consideration. (Signed) Thomas W. McELHUJEY Dear Commissioner-General UImt·1. Gene the, in t Bsau the inte llith It servi rem when by th in yo ands Mr. Cormni. Unite for -vii- , J Iblll F LETTER FROM THE CHAIRlWl OF THE ADVIS0l1Y COMHISSIOU OF THE UnITED NA'J.'IONS RELIEF AND \~ORKS AGENCY FOR PALESTINE HEFUGEES I~i TIlE NEAR EAST '., 10 August 1977 1. Th Dear Mr. McElhiney, East ( its me In its meeting held in .Anu:~an on 10 August 1977, the Advisory Commission of mandat UURt'lA considered the draft r,eport 't~'hich you intend to submit to the United Nations the qu General Assembly at its thirty-second session on the Agency's activities during the· period 1 July 1976':"30 June 1977, and the remarks made thereon by its members. 2. Th is, pe The Commission hopes that the efforts to establish a just and lasting peace a mini' in the Middle East would ensure the rights of the Palestine refugees. result can sc The Commission appreciates the positive position behind your ~roposal to the re assure adequate and timely fundinB for IDlR\'TA, and expresses its deep concern for Since the continued deficit in the Agency's budget. The Commission hopes that the to the international community as a whole "dll be able to deal, in a constructive manner, politi lTith the problems of financing of UNRWA, which is an international responsibility. partic It also hopes that the Agency will be in a position to enable it to improve its are ac services and extend them to a.ll entitled Palestine refut~ees. essent ramifi The Commission notes that you have agreed to take into consideration the Howeve remarks made by the members, especially those made by the Arab host States, prol;?le when preparing your report in 1ts final form. of ser The Commission expresses its appreciation of the services and efforts made 3. Of by the former Commissioner-General, Sir John Rennie. It also wishes you success 1,706, in your task and expresses to the Agency staff its appreciation of their efforts area 0 and services. Yours sincerely, (Signed) Ahmad Abdul HADI Chairman Advisory Commission Mr. Thomas W. McElhiney Conunissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and \'TorIts ~ency for Palestine Refugees Not aJ servic ] -viii- INTRODUCTION General 1. The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has existed as a temporary agency of the United Nations since 1950, with its mandate being renewed periodically 'uy the General Assembly. 11 As the current mandate will expire on 30 June 1978, the General Assembly will presumably consider the question of the mandate during its current sess~ion. 2. The Agency's raison d'@tre is to provide services to Palestine refugees, that is, persons or the descendants of persons whose normal residence was Palestine for a minim~ of two years preceding the Arab-Israeli conflict in 1948 and who, as a result of that conflict, lost both their homes and their means of livelihood. One can scarcely read this definition of a Palestine refugee without being reminded that the refugee problem has dimensions which go far beyond the purely humanitarian. Since 1948, the General Assembly has annually recommended the return of the refugees to their original homes or the receipt of compensation in lieu thereof.