Date: 6/12/2025
Tomorrow - The 114th session of the Conference of Supervisors of Palestinian Affairs begins at the headquarters of the League of Arab States in Cairo.
Dr. Ahmed Abu Holi, member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization and head of the Refugee Affairs Department, stated that the 114th session of the Conference of Supervisors of Palestinian Affairs in Arab Host Countries will commence tomorrow morning, Sunday, at the headquarters of the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States in Cairo, Egypt.
According to a statement issued by Dr. Abu Holi explained that the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, the Lebanese Republic, the Syrian Arab Republic, the State of Palestine, and the Arab Republic of Egypt, in addition to representatives from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Scientific Organization (ALECSO), the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO), the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), and the Palestine and Occupied Arab Territories Sector of the League of Arab States, headed by the Assistant Secretary-General of the League of Arab States and Head of the Sector, Dr. Faed Mustafa, are participating.
Dr. Abu Holi indicated that the conference, to be held from December 7 to 10, will discuss the issues on its agenda, namely: monitoring and supporting the Intifada; settlement activity and Jewish immigration; the separation wall; the activities and financial situation of UNRWA; and development in the Palestinian territories.
Dr. Abu Holi is chairing the 114th session of the Conference of Supervisors and is also heading the State of Palestine's delegation, which includes, in addition to him, Anwar Hammam, Undersecretary of the Department of Refugee Affairs, and representatives from the Permanent Mission of Palestine to the League of Arab States.
Dr. Abu Holi explained that the conference will devote a significant portion of its sessions to the unprecedented financial crisis facing UNRWA due to a substantial budget deficit estimated at approximately $200 million, starting from December 1st of this year until the end of the first quarter of next year (2026). The conference will also address ways to assist UNRWA in overcoming this financial crisis, leveraging the unparalleled international and regional political support for UNRWA. This support culminated in the reaffirmation of the New York Declaration and its annexes, adopted by the UN General Assembly last September, which emphasized UNRWA's vital role until a political solution is found for the refugee issue, in accordance with Resolution 194 and the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice in October 2025. This support led to the renewal of UNRWA's mandate for three years, until June 30, 2029, by an overwhelming majority at the UN. The aim is to secure sustainable and predictable funding for UNRWA to prevent future crises, cover the budget deficit that threatens its mandate and the essential and life-saving emergency services it provides to millions of Palestinian refugees, and jeopardize the payment of its staff salaries.
Dr. Abu Holi further explained... Abu Holi stated that the conference will focus on UNRWA's role in the early recovery and reconstruction process in the Gaza Strip, within the framework of the international conference to be hosted by the Arab Republic of Egypt for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip. This conference falls under the plan of US President Donald Trump and the early recovery and reconstruction plan approved by the Arab Summit in Cairo last March, which was later transformed into an Arab-Islamic plan after being adopted by the League of Arab States and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.
Dr. Abu Holi added that the conference will address the ongoing Israeli violations of the rights of the Palestinian people, the war of extermination on the Gaza Strip, and the ethnic cleansing campaigns led by the occupation government against Palestinians, particularly in the Bedouin communities east of Jerusalem threatened with demolition, as well as in the Shuafat and Silwan refugee camps, the villages of the Negev and the Jordan Valley, and the escalating settlement activity and fierce Judaization campaign targeting Jerusalem. The conference will also discuss Arab efforts to support the steadfastness of Jerusalemites in the face of Israeli targeting.
Dr. Abu Holi added... Abu Holi stated that the conference will dedicate significant time to discussing the situation of refugees in Arab host countries, the efforts these countries are making to bolster the resilience of Palestinian refugees, ensure their dignified living conditions, meet their needs, and address their issues in coordination with UNRWA.
Dr. Abu Holi affirmed that the conference will produce important recommendations on the entirety of the Palestinian issue, which is on the conference agenda, and these recommendations will be submitted to the Council of Arab Foreign Ministers at its next session.
