Contributions to UNRWA should be increased after the United States, which had provided nearly 30 percent of the institute`s overall spending, stopped the aid in September 2018, the minister remarked at a meeting with Palestinian Ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour in New York on Monday, Jan 21.
"The UNRWA will face the same problem this year since it lacks fund to manage refugees whose number runs into more than five million. I have stated that Indonesia is ready to provide at least the same amount of contributions as we did last year," she stated in the video received here on Tuesday night.
Indonesia had donated US$200 thousand to UNRWA in September 2018. The country plans to increase the amount to $2 million for the 2019-2020 period.
At the meeting, Marsudi and Mansour also discussed the latest developments in Palestine in the capacity of Indonesia as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council.
The meeting, which was the first in a series of meetings with the UN Security Council during her four-day visit in New York, demonstrated that the Palestinian issue tops the list of the Indonesian government`s priorities in its foreign policies.
She said the meeting held significance to build common understanding of several issues in Palestine that could be brought up at the meetings of the UN Security Council.
"In essence, we always want to demonstrate to the world that we are always together with Palestine," she emphasized.
Not only does Indonesia support the Palestinian people`s struggle for their rights but it also helps lobby other countries to side with Palestinian independence.
"Palestine highly lauds the Indonesian government`s consistency and position to continue to help in their struggles," she stated.
Reporting by Yashinta Difa Pramudyani
Editing by Suharto
Reporter: Antara
Editor: Azizah Fitriyanti
Copyright © ANTARA 2019
