UNRWA Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini. UNRWA chief: agency closure would jeopardize political progress in Gaza Humanitarian assistance
Fund shortages threaten the ability of the United Nations Relief Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) to carry out its functions. The Agency’s Commissioner General, Philippe Lazzarini, announced this on Thursday, speaking before the UN General Assembly.
According to the head of UNRWA, the agency plays an indispensable role in ensuring stability in Gaza and rebuilding the devastated strip. He stressed that UNRWA’s funding cuts were driven by a “vicious” disinformation campaign that had tarnished the agency’s reputation.
“The reduction or cessation of UNRWA’s activities would have serious consequences for the entire region,” Lazzarini warned. “In Gaza, it will undermine stabilization and reconstruction efforts and jeopardize political progress.”
The agency’s role in the region
UNRWA has operated since 1950, providing basic services, protection and humanitarian assistance to Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip.
In 2024, the agency provided emergency food assistance to approximately 1.9 million Palestinians in Gaza. It also provides full-time education to more than 50,000 children.
“We have been able to raise generations of Palestinians who have become prosperous global citizens, contributing to the economic development of communities throughout the region and beyond, including Europe and North America,” Lazzarini said.
Later, during a briefing for journalists in New York, he added that “if destruction and trauma continue to accompany the learning process,” there is a risk that in the future, Palestinian children will be exploited, radicalized or join armed groups. implicated in the October 7 attacks, and the United States, traditionally the agency’s largest donor, has frozen all its funding in 2023.
The State of Palestine’s Deputy Permanent Observer to the UN, Feda Abdelhadi, described the agency as “essential and indispensable.”
“We call on all states to remain firm and principled in their support for UNRWA, duly recognizing its vital role,” the diplomat said.