Ammon News - Japan reaffirmed its longstanding partnership with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) during the launch ceremony of the second phase of the Leadership Excellence and Accountability Programme, held Monday in Amman.

The initiative is implemented by UNRWA in collaboration with the United Nations System Staff College (UNSSC) and is funded by the Government of Japan.

Ambassador of Japan to Jordan, Asari Hideki, attended the event and delivered remarks in which he expressed profound respect for the commitment and resilience of UNRWA staff, who continue to serve Palestinian refugees under highly challenging conditions.

He emphasized that UNRWA plays an indispensable role in delivering critical services to refugees and reiterated Japan’s unwavering support for the agency’s foundational values: integrity, transparency, accountability, and neutrality.

The event highlighted the importance of strengthening institutional capacity within UNRWA, particularly among its frontline managers, to ensure the effective and principled delivery of humanitarian services. The programme also aligns with the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) agenda, emphasizing gender-responsive leadership and reinforcing broader efforts to promote governance, accountability, and neutrality within the agency.

The Leadership Excellence and Accountability Programme, first launched in 2024, is designed to enhance the skills and performance of UNRWA’s operational leaders. The second phase builds on the success of the initial cycle, continuing to promote best practices in operational excellence, accountability, neutrality, and gender sensitivity.

Speaking at the ceremony, UNRWA Deputy Commissioner-General Antonia De Meo and Deputy Director for UNRWA Affairs in Jordan Kunal Dhar extended their gratitude to the Government of Japan for its consistent and generous support.

They emphasized that the programme exemplifies UNRWA’s institutional commitment to strengthening governance, increasing transparency, and advancing the agency’s core principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality, and independence. Petra