Lyon provides financial support to UNRWA

SANAA, June 29 (YPA) – The municipality of Lyon, France’s third-largest city, has approved a financial grant of 50,000 euros to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), a move that local authorities consider part of their humanitarian responsibility towards the suffering of refugees in the Middle East.

The decision to award the grant came after extensive discussions within the municipal council, where it received the approval of a majority of members, with only ten members opposed.

In an official statement, the municipality of Lyon confirmed that the goal of this step is the city’s commitment to international law, not to send a political message, stressing that providing aid aims to alleviate human suffering.

The statement added that the grant represents an expression of the city’s solidarity with Palestinian refugees, especially in light of the difficult conditions they live in the camps.

On the other hand, the French government affirmed its continued financial support for UNRWA, allocating a budget of up to 30 million euros in 2024 to support the agency’s programs in the region, despite criticism and increasing political pressure from some local and international parties.