Saudi Arabia donates $25m for Nahr El Bared

In a ceremony held on 5 May in Amman, Unrwa Commissioner-General Karen Koning AbuZayd and Engineer Youssef Al-Bassam, Vice Chairman and Managing Director of the Saudi Fund, signed the donation agreement.

The reconstruction work of Nahr el-Bared camp will be split into eight packages. Construction work in the first package is expected to start soon.

The contribution of the Saudi Fund will complete financing for the reconstruction of the infrastructure and the housing units of the second package, thus enabling around 500 displaced families to return to their newly-reconstructed houses and businesses in the camp, while the balance will be used for subsequent packages yet to be decided.

Expressing the Lebanese Government's appreciation of the new contribution, Ambassador Khalil Makkawi, Chairman of the Lebanese-Palestinian Dialogue Committee said:

"The Lebanese Government highly values the generous contribution of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia towards the reconstruction of Nahr el- Bared camp. This is another sign of the long-standing commitment of the Kingdom to support Lebanon, the Palestinian cause and the rights of Palestinians. I am confident that this contribution will encourage donors who have not yet contributed to the reconstruction of Nahr el-Bared to come forward with their pledges and for those who have already contributed to give more in order to alleviate the suffering of thousands of Palestinian refugees and Lebanese."

"This donation comes at a vital time, as we are about to enter the construction phase of the Nahr el-Bared project", said Unrwa's Commissioner-General after signing the agreement with the Saudi Fund, adding that "the support of the Saudi Fund will help build momentum in our work and provide a clear signal to the refugee community that the camp will be reconstructed".

Some 27,000 Palestine refugees were displaced after the destruction of Nahr el- Bared camp in 2007 in fighting between the Lebanese Army and Fatah al-Islam.

Unrwa, through the generous support of donors, has provided the displaced people with food and other emergency assistance for nearly two years and the Agency has, in addition, constructed temporary shelters in the area adjacent to Nahr el-Bared for the refugees and provided rental subsidies to those living in rented accommodation.