OFID Director-General, Mr. Suleiman J. Al-Herbish, has announced the approval of a US$1.2 million grant in support of a Scholarship Fund for Talented Palestinians. The Scholarship Fund is an initiative of UNRWA (the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East). Mr. Al-Herbish made the announcement on the occasion of a Marcel Khalife Concert for Peace and Humanity held at the Vienna City Hall on June 30. The Scholarship Fund represents one of a broad range of activities UNRWA is undertaking to commemorate its 60th anniversary. The initiative aims to provide higher education opportunities to talented Palestinian students from the West Bank, Gaza Strip and refugee camps in neighboring countries.
The Concert, which featured renowned Lebanese artist Marcel Khalife and the Al-Mayadine Ensemble, was attended by a host of ranking Austrian officials and other dignitaries such as the Palestinian Prime Minister, H.E. Mr. Salam Fayyad and H.E. Mr. Riyad al-Maliki, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Palestinian Authority, as well as ambassadors and heads of Vienna-based international organizations. The concert was organized by the Society for Austro-Arab Relations and OFID, who was the main sponsor of the event. The Concert held under the patronage of H.E. Dr. Heinz Fischer, Federal President of Austria, and H.E. Mr. Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary-General.
During the intermission, Mr. Al-Herbish thanked everyone for their attendance at the concert which showed a “gesture of solidarity” to the plight of the Palestinian people. He informed the guests about OFID’s approval of a US$1.2 million grant, which was recently approved by its Governing Board. “OFID feels strongly about promoting education and innovation,” and will continue to do so until the Palestinian Question is finally resolved.
Ms. Karen Koning AbuZayd, Commissioner-General of UNRWA, responded by thanking OFID for its “generous, unwavering support” to Palestine. She emphasized that education was one of UNRWA’s primary areas of focus, as education is the primary means of raising self-reliance and helping secure a stable future. Mr. Fritz Edlinger, Secretary-General of the Society for Austro-Arab Relations also responded to Mr. Al-Herbish’s announcement by praising OFID for its steadfast support and noted that the Society had enjoyed a strong partnership for 25 years and looked forward to continuing its cooperation for years to come.
The Scholarship Grant for Talented Palestinians program encompasses two major components. The first entails the creation of a privately - run endowment fund, independent of UNRWA, which will be overseen by a selected board of trustees. Another component will, together with UNRWA’s partners and some experts, develop its capacity to select scholarship recipients and establish an entity to effectively manage and distribute the offered scholarships.
OFID has been providing assistance to Palestine since 1979. Following the tragic events that precipitated the second Intifada, in 2002 OFID’s Ministerial Council established a Special Grant Account for Palestine with an initial endowment of US$10 million. Subsequent replenishments have boosted the account to US$90 million. As of December 31, 2008, OFID’s Governing Board had approved US$65.48 million in grants from the account. Priority areas include health, education, agriculture and water supply and sanitation sectors, as well as rehabilitation of damaged homes and infrastructure. In addition, in 2008, OFID extended US$11.5 million in emergency assistance to Gaza for essential food and health supplies and to help finance relief operations. Earlier this year, OFID approved a US$2.5 million grant to help bolster reconstruction operations in Gaza.
