Washington: The United States has announced a USD 40 million contribution to the UN agency that supports Palestinian refugees in Middle Eastern camps.

The State Department said in a statement that the contribution to the UN Relief and Works Agency, in support of the agency s 2008 general fund appeal, is to help UNRWA provide basic and vocational education, primary health care and relief and social services to more than 4.4 million registered Palestinian refugees.

Refugees are in camps in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.

US contributions in 2007 amounted to USD 90.7 million, and the announcement said the 2008 donations will be "commensurate with" that.

The United Nations created UNRWA in 1948,after the first Arab-Israeli war over the establishment of the Jewish state, to care for Palestinian refugees. It started operations in 1950.

Every year UNRWA educates around 490,000 children in more than 650 schools, hosts nine million patient visits in 127 health clinics and one hospital and provides special hardship assistance to 250,000 of the most vulnerable refugees, the State Department said.

Source : PTI