Bangladesh pledged voluntary contribution of $50,000to to the "United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)" for the year 2023 .

The announcement came at the UNRWA pledging conference held Saturday at UNHQs, said a press release, reports UNB.

The modest contribution is a demonstration of steadfast commitment of the Government and people of Bangladesh to the just struggle of Palestinian people. Bangladesh has been contributing to UNRWA since 2018.

The pledging conference was convened by the President of the General Assembly. The Commissioner General of UNRWA briefed the member States in the meeting.

The Deputy Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the UN in New York, Dr. Md. Monwar Hossain declared the pledge on behalf of the Government of Bangladesh.

In his statement, he expressed concern regarding the perennial funding shortfalls of UNRWA and emphasize on securing "sustainable, predictable and sufficient" funding.

He also mentioned that UNRWA was established on a temporary basis to support the Palestinians. However, providing support is not the solution, the only solution to this crisis is ending the Israeli illegal occupation by achieving the two-State solution on the basis of the pre-1967 borders.

UNRWA was established by UN General Assembly resolution in 1949 with a humanitarian and development mandate to provide assistance and protection to Palestine refugees pending a just and lasting solution to their plight. At present, there are 5.9 million Palestinians are registered as refugee.