Mr Burkhalter welcomed Mr Krähenbühl at the Federal Palace. During their meeting, Mr Burkhalter and his guest underscored the relationship based on dialogue and trust that exists between Switzerland and UNRWA. This was the first official meeting between the President of the Swiss Confederation and Mr Krähenbühl since he was appointed to head this United Nations agency in November of 2013.
Their discussions centred on the crises that are affecting the Middle East and on the plight of Palestinian refugees, especially in Gaza – where Palestinian refugees account for two-thirds of the population – and in Syria. They also talked about the important role UNRWA plays in the region in organising the humanitarian response, providing basic services and ensuring respect for the rights of refugees.
Mr Krähenbühl thanked Switzerland for its support for UNRWA since its creation in 1949 as well as during the reform process that has helped improve the organisation's effectiveness. He also explained to the President of the Swiss Confederation the challenges UNRWA is facing today and what support it will require to fulfil its mandate. So far in 2014, Switzerland has provided UNRWA with more than CHF 16 million for the whole of the region.
During his visit to Switzerland, Mr Krähenbühl also met with members of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Council, State Secretary Yves Rossier, the Director-General of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Martin Dahinden, and other members of the SDC's Management and the FDFA's Directorate of Political Affairs.
Set up by the UN General Assembly in 1949, UNRWA's mission is to implement aid and development programmes for Palestinian refugees in the Middle East. In the absence of a just and lasting negotiated solution to the issue of refugees in Palestine, UNRWA assists almost 5 million refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and the occupied Palestinian territory, providing them with basic services, in particular in the areas of health, social services, education, microfinance and emergency aid.
Swiss national Pierre Krähenbühl was previously Director of Operations of the International Committee of the Red Cross and took up the post of head of UNRWA in March 2014. He is currently the highest ranking Swiss national in the United Nations system.
Further information:
UNRWA
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East – UNRWA
Address for enquiries:
Information FDFA
Bundeshaus West
CH-3003 Bern
Tel.: +41 58 462 31 53
Fax: +41 58 464 90 47
E-Mail: info@eda.admin.ch
