After weeks of (misguided) protests, UNRWA has decided to revamp its web page to include the more traditional version of its logo:
UNRWA’s statement on tagline
24 July 2011
Over recent weeks, UNRWA has observed with concern the reactions from refugee communities, host authorities and others to the tagline “The UN Agency for Palestine Refugees”.
This tagline was introduced as one of several initiatives aiming to provide a platform for engaging new potential donors and the general public in donor countries who are not familiar with UNRWA and its work. There was no change in the Agency’s name or the nature of its mission. Despite our efforts to explain this, strong, public reactions continued, distracting from the Agency’s ability to focus on daily operational challenges.
Having carefully weighed available options and consulted with stakeholders, it has been decided that “The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East” will be the only words to appear in UNRWA’s logo. This decision will be reflected on the website as soon as technicians can redesign it accordingly.
The well-being of Palestine refugees is the reason for UNRWA’s existence and remains the driving force behind everything the Agency does, including our efforts to project UNRWA as a modern, forward-looking, and vibrant Agency. These efforts will continue in the hope that they will contribute to enhancing the resources needed to make our operations more sustainable.
UNRWA will remain receptive to the views and concerns of the refugees it serves. We will continue to be steadfast in the discharge of our mandate until a just and lasting solution is found to the plight of Palestine refugees.
For more background on the (non) issue, see here and here.
PRRN 