![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/news_article_135601_46579_1720796059.jpg\")
UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini at the opening of the UNRWA Pledging Conference \u00a9 UN News<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/p>\n
Mr. President,<\/strong><\/p>\n Excellencies, \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n I would like to thank the President of the General Assembly for convening this conference.<\/p>\n I am also grateful to the Secretary-General for his presence and strong support to UNRWA at an exceptionally challenging time.<\/p>\n When we met for the pledging conference last June, no one could have foreseen the tragedy that would engulf Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory.<\/p>\n Palestinians and Israelis have experienced terrible losses and immense suffering.<\/p>\n Israel experienced on October 7 the most abhorrent attack in its modern history.<\/p>\n I echo the call of the Secretary-General for the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages.<\/p>\n Gaza is decimated.<\/p>\n More than two million people are trapped in a living hell.<\/p>\n They have been displaced repeatedly across a ravaged and increasingly lawless territory.<\/p>\n Children and women are bearing the brunt of this brutal war.<\/p>\n Acute food insecurity is claiming the lives of children and severely affecting women who often eat last and least.<\/p>\n Thousands of children have been killed. Thousands more are struggling with new disabilities.<\/p>\n Many have lost their limbs to amputation, their hearing to blasts, and their speech to shock and trauma.<\/p>\n In the shadow of Gaza, another tragedy is unfolding in the West Bank.<\/p>\n More than 500 Palestinians have been killed since October, including at least 130 children.<\/p>\n Attacks by Israeli settlers, military incursions, and the destruction of homes and critical infrastructure, are part of a system of oppression.<\/p>\n The Israel-Lebanon border is simmering, threatening full-blown war.<\/p>\n Millions of Palestine Refugees across the region are anxious and afraid.<\/p>\n Most have lived in camps for generations, awaiting a political solution to their plight.<\/p>\n Palestinians are witnessing today their greatest tragedy since 1948.<\/p>\n And, as they have done for 75 years, they are looking to UNRWA for help.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Mr. President,<\/strong><\/p>\n For decades, the Agency has been a force for stability across the region.<\/p>\n It is a driver of human development for Palestine Refugees, providing public-like services such as education and healthcare.<\/p>\n Today, however, UNRWA is staggering under the weight of relentless attacks.<\/p>\n In Gaza<\/strong>, the Agency has paid a terrible price.<\/p>\n 195 of our colleagues have been killed.<\/p>\n Nearly 190 installations have been damaged or destroyed, killing more than 500 people seeking Â鶹APP protection.<\/p>\n UNRWA personnel detained by the Israeli Forces have reported mistreatment and torture.<\/p>\n Our premises have been used for military purposes by Palestinian armed groups, including Hamas, and the Israeli Forces.<\/p>\n Our convoys have come under attack despite coordinating movement.<\/p>\n In the West Bank<\/strong>, UNRWA\u2019s operational space is shrinking.<\/p>\n Arbitrary measures imposed by Israel severely restrict the presence and movement of our staff.<\/p>\n Violent protests outside our premises in East Jerusalem culminated in arson attacks.<\/p>\n In more than 30 years of humanitarian work, I have never encountered such blatant disregard for the protected status of humanitarian workers, facilities and operations under international law.<\/p>\n Turning a blind eye to these attacks sets a dangerous precedent, undermining respect for the rules-based international order in other conflicts.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Excellencies,<\/strong><\/p>\n Efforts are underway to dismantle UNRWA and change the established political parameters for peace in the occupied Palestinian territory.<\/p>\n This includes fierce attacks on social media, and legislative proposals to evict the Agency from its premises in East Jerusalem and to label it a terrorist organization.<\/p>\n UNRWA is targeted because of its role in safeguarding the rights of Palestine Refugees, and because it embodies an international commitment to a political solution.<\/p>\n Failing to push back will leave other UN entities and international organizations exposed to similar attacks.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Mr. President,<\/strong><\/p>\n Amid these extraordinary challenges, I received serious allegations that UNRWA personnel in Gaza were involved in the horrific attacks of October 7.<\/p>\n If proved true, this would constitute an appalling betrayal of Palestine Refugees and UNRWA.<\/p>\n The UN took firm and immediate action.<\/p>\n I terminated the appointments of the accused individuals.<\/p>\n The Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) opened an investigation, and the Secretary-General launched an independent review of how UNRWA upholds neutrality in its work.<\/p>\n The OIOS investigation into allegations against individuals is ongoing.<\/p>\n The independent review concluded that UNRWA has policies, mechanisms, and procedures to ensure compliance with the principle of neutrality.<\/p>\n The review confirmed that the Agency has a more developed approach to neutrality than similar UN or other entities, including in addressing breaches through disciplinary sanctions.<\/p>\n The review, however, makes recommendations to reinforce neutrality in a complex and polarized political environment.<\/p>\n UNRWA is committed to implementing these recommendations with the support of donors and host countries.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Excellencies,<\/strong><\/p>\n I have warned repeatedly that UNRWA\u2019s funding model is incompatible with its mandate to provide public-like services.<\/p>\n More than a decade of chronic underfunding and severe austerity measures have eroded the quality of our services.<\/p>\n Weakened by snowballing financial deficits, the Agency nearly imploded earlier this year.<\/p>\n Following the allegations against individual personnel, 16 Member States suspended funding to the Agency.<\/p>\n We have worked tirelessly with partners to restore confidence in the Agency. As of today, almost all have resumed funding.<\/p>\n I am immensely grateful for your trust and support.<\/p>\n However, the fundamental fiscal challenge remains \u2013 UNRWA lacks the resources to deliver its mandate.<\/p>\n The Agency\u2019s ability to operate beyond August depends on Member States disbursing planned funding and making new contributions to the core budget.<\/p>\n For the occupied Palestinian territory emergency appeal \u2013 driven primarily by the war in Gaza \u2013 we are appealing for $1.2 billion to cover critical humanitarian needs until the end of the year.<\/p>\n This appeal, and the emergency appeal for Syria, Lebanon and Jordan are less than 20 percent funded.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Mr. President,<\/strong><\/p>\n UNRWA is the backbone of the humanitarian response in Gaza.<\/p>\n The Agency will remain critical for the transition from ceasefire to \u201cday after\u201d, providing essential services, notably, primary healthcare and education.<\/p>\n Before the war, UNRWA met 70-80% of\u00a0primary healthcare<\/strong>\u00a0needs in Gaza.<\/p>\n Our extensive network and relationship of trust with the community allow us to rapidly introduce and scale-up critical services such as mental health and trauma care.<\/p>\n Education\u00a0<\/strong>is also a priority in Gaza, where every second person is a child.<\/p>\n Palestinians value education highly \u2013 it has been the only investment from which they could not be dispossessed.<\/p>\n More than 625,000 deeply traumatized children are out of school. Half went to UNRWA schools before the war.<\/p>\n Today, they spend their days scavenging in the rubble and waiting to collect water in blistering heat.<\/p>\n They are at risk of violence and exploitation, including recruitment by armed groups.<\/p>\n If we fail to bring them back to learning, we will lose an entire generation and sow the seeds of hatred, resentment, and future conflict.<\/p>\n UNRWA can provide education for all children in Gaza, when the security situation allows.<\/p>\n Together with partners, we are already rolling out a plan to resume learning.<\/p>\n It starts with providing mental health and psychosocial support; transitions to teaching reading, writing and math in informal settings; and culminates in a return to formal education in schools.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Excellencies,<\/strong><\/p>\n UNRWA was created 75 years ago as a temporary agency, pending a political answer to the question of Palestine.<\/p>\n The Agency exists today because a political solution does not.<\/p>\n It exists in lieu of a state that can deliver critical public services.<\/p>\n If the international community commits to a political solution, UNRWA can resume its intended role supporting a time-bound transition, delivering education, primary healthcare, and social support.<\/p>\n Let me conclude with three requests:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n First, I urge you to safeguard UNRWA now and within the framework of a transition.<\/strong><\/p>\n And here, I would like to thank the 118 Member States that have signed the shared commitment to support the Agency.<\/p>\n The notion that the Agency can be dismantled without triggering the collapse of the humanitarian response in Gaza, and causing chaos in other areas of operation is na\u00efve at best.<\/p>\n UNRWA must continue providing services until a political solution is at hand.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Second, we must scale up and enhance service delivery to Palestine Refugees.<\/strong><\/p>\n In Gaza, we need an immediate ceasefire and safe, unfettered access to deliver aid at scale.<\/p>\n We also need strong partnerships that complement and preserve UNRWA\u2019s mandate.<\/p>\n The mandate must be matched by adequate, predictable and flexible funding from Member States.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Finally, I seek your support to implement the recommendations of the independent review on neutrality.<\/strong><\/p>\n Upholding neutrality is a shared responsibility.<\/p>\n To succeed, we need financial and in-kind support from Member States.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In closing<\/strong>, I must reiterate that the world has changed drastically since we last met.<\/p>\n UNRWA is under greater pressure than ever before.<\/p>\n If we maintain the status quo, the Agency will crumble and millions of children, women and men will pay a heavy price.<\/p>\n Thank you, Mr. President.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" 12 July 2024 Mr. President, Excellencies, \u00a0 I would like to thank the President of the General Assembly for convening this conference. I am also grateful to the Secretary-General for his presence and strong support to UNRWA at an exceptionally challenging time. When we met for the pledging conference last June, no […]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":299,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"country":[],"document-category":[2637,1338],"document-source":[1817],"committee-meeting":[],"document-subject":[2517,1769,1945,6650,2005,1741,1745],"entity":[1729],"document-language":[6542],"class_list":["post-298444","document","type-document","status-publish","hentry","document-category-remarks","document-category-statement","document-source-united-nations-relief-and-works-agency-for-palestine-refugees-in-the-near-east-unrwa","document-subject-access-and-movement","document-subject-armed-conflict","document-subject-assistance","document-subject-funding-needs","document-subject-gaza-strip","document-subject-human-rights-and-international-humanitarian-law","document-subject-refugees-and-displaced-persons","entity-united-nations-system","document-language-english"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/298444","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/document"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/299"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/298444\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":298446,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/298444\/revisions\/298446"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=298444"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"country","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country?post=298444"},{"taxonomy":"document-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-category?post=298444"},{"taxonomy":"document-source","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-source?post=298444"},{"taxonomy":"committee-meeting","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/committee-meeting?post=298444"},{"taxonomy":"document-subject","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-subject?post=298444"},{"taxonomy":"entity","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/entity?post=298444"},{"taxonomy":"document-language","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-language?post=298444"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}