Capitals (Union, Agencies)
Fourteen heads of UN and international agencies stressed the need to continue supporting the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) and not to prevent it from implementing its mandate of serving people in dire need of aid, noting that cutting off funding for the agency would have catastrophic consequences for Gaza.
A statement issued by the United Nations Inter-Agency Standing Committee, which includes the main partners concerned with humanitarian affairs inside and outside the organization, said: “Withdrawing funding from UNRWA is dangerous, and may lead to the collapse of the humanitarian system in Gaza, with far-reaching humanitarian and human rights consequences in the occupied Palestinian territories.” And throughout the region.”
“The growing terrible events in Gaza since October 7 have left hundreds of thousands homeless and on the brink of starvation,” they said, adding that UNRWA, as the largest humanitarian organization in Gaza, provides food, shelter and protection to the population even as its employees are displaced and killed.
The officials stressed that “the decision of some UN member states to suspend funding for UNRWA will have catastrophic consequences for the residents of Gaza,” noting that no other party has the ability to deliver the volume and scope of aid urgently needed by 2.2 million people in Gaza, calling on those countries to reconsider. In suspending funding for UNRWA.
The officials pointed to UNRWA’s announcement of an independent and complete review of its work, and the investigation being conducted by the United Nations Internal Oversight Office, stressing in their joint statement that withdrawing funding from UNRWA is dangerous and will lead to the collapse of the humanitarian system in Gaza, with far-reaching humanitarian and human rights consequences in the country. The occupied Palestinian territory and throughout the region.
They concluded the statement by saying: “The world cannot abandon the people of Gaza.”
In turn, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres yesterday described UNRWA as the “backbone” of all humanitarian efforts in Gaza, and appealed to all countries to ensure the continuity of UNRWA’s life-saving work.
Guterres told a UN committee concerned with Palestinian rights, “I met on Tuesday with donors to listen to their concerns and determine the steps we are taking to deal with them. UNRWA is the backbone of the humanitarian response in the entire Gaza.”
He called for “urgent steps to defuse tension and spare the region from further violence before it is too late,” and said that “we must see tangible progress towards a two-state solution and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.”
In a related context, the Norwegian Foreign Minister said yesterday that his country urges the countries that cut their funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) to consider the consequences of their decision on the residents of Gaza.
Norway announced on Sunday that it would continue its funding for UNRWA after accusations that some of the agency's employees participated in the October 7 attack.
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