MRSG/ /05

Mr. Timothy Rothermel Special Representative UNDP/PAPP Jerusalem

Dear Mr. Rothermel,

It is with a mixture of regret and gratitude that we bid farewell to Mr. Timothy S. Rothermel, who has been an unfailing friend, supporter and partner to MIFTAH for many years, and a special personal friend to me.

Mr. Rothermel has worked tirelessly during his stint here to help the people of Palestine, and through the wide-ranging, far-reaching activities of UNDP/PAPP, has done perhaps more for the people of our nation than it was conceivably possible for any one person to do.

Under his guidance and leadership, UNDP/PAPP has generated employment, built institutions, educated children, fostered democratic government and sustainable development to help improve the lives of our increasingly impoverished and bereft people. Through the UNDP/TOKTEN program in particular, Mr. Rothermel has helped establish a mechanism for continual capacity building that institutionalizes UNDP’s – and MIFTAH’s – belief in the efficacy of empowerment.

We will miss his optimism, his idealism, his generosity, his wisdom, his humanitarianism, his foresight, his pioneering activism, and, above all, his indefatigable faith in Palestine’s potential. We will miss, too, it goes without saying, the consolation of his friendship, but we know that he will remain, no matter where life takes him, always in our thoughts.

MIFTAH and UNDP/PAPP will continue on the symbiotic path that we began many years ago, but Timothy’s absence will be felt every step of the way.

Sincerely,

Hanan Ashrawi, Ph.D.

Secretary General