May 2009
On 8 December 2009, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) will be sixty years old. According to the "UNRWA at 60" publication, the anniversary presents a chance for the agency to reposition itself among development and humanitarian actors in the Middle East and transmit some powerful messages about the contribution it has and will make to the prosperity and stability of the region. The publication acknowledges that while it would be inappropriate to 'celebrate' a 60-year anniversary it would be useful for the agency and its stakeholders to use this historic date to emphasize the important contribution it has made and continues to make to four generations of Palestine refugees. UNRWA will use its 60th anniversary to shape a more appropriate perception of the Agency while carrying a clear political message: six decades of dispossession must end.
The "UNRWA at 60" concept paper was developed in cooperation with the WolfGroup Consultants. The paper introduces the rationale and ambitions for the project, the key messages, desired outcomes and objectives, and outlines the projects that will be developed. The "UNRWA at 60" initiative was conceived at the June 2008 UNRWA Advisory Commission meeting in Damascus. The project descriptions in the concept paper illustrate the inter-linkages between the projects that will be showcased in special events in Brussels, New York, Geneva, Vienna and the Middle Eastern region.
According to the "UNRWA at 60" publication, the main objectives of the campaign are to advocate for Palestine refugees and UNRWA, maintain and mobilize resources from donors and contribute to the enhancement of UNRWA's Public Information and External Relations capacity. UNRWA will undertake a broad range of activities from research to refugee community activities, public events and participation in official meetings of the UNGA, EU, League of Arab States, and host authorities to achieve these objectives, states the publication.
Read the concept paper online:
F.U.N was born when a friend asked how he can help the United Nations? "What does the UN need most" he asked? Friends are what the UN needs most, was our answer, and it just happens to spell F.U.N. 
