A series of European donors have made immediate disbursements to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East in an effort to make up for funding withheld by the United States.

The funding has been released immediately — instead of in installments or later in the year — in order to help the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees keep up its work after its biggest donor “froze” millions of dollars in planned funding.

The Swedish government has become the latest to make an announcement, having disbursed $58.5 million to UNRWA over the weekend.

The U.S. is responsible for a third of UNRWA’s budget, contributing $364 million last year.

The Dutch government said it would fast-track $16 million of funding which had already been earmarked for the agency.

Sweden and Belgium did not immediately clarify whether any of the money represented additional funding.

The U.S. State Department announced last week it would withhold more than half of a $125 million contribution to UNRWA. That contribution was to be the first of two released this year, but the department said that future contributions would now be conditional on the agency making reforms.

Read the full article on UNRWA by Jessica Abrahams at Devex International Development