© UNRWA/H. Avad UNRWA staff prepare food daily to distribute to displaced people in southern Lebanon. UN chief calls for urgent funds for Palestinian support agency UN
Secretary-General António Guterres called on member states to urgently provide financial support to the UN Relief Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), warning that the liquidity crisis is jeopardizing vital services for millions of people across the region.
Speaking at a special meeting of the General Assembly to announce voluntary contributions to UNRWA, the UN chief stressed that the situation of the Palestinians remains dire. he.
The humanitarian situation remains catastrophic
The Secretary-General said that despite a ceasefire declared in October last year, Israeli attacks have since killed more than a thousand Palestinians in Gaza.
He described living conditions in the strip terrifying. Major problems include unexploded ordnance, open gutters, rodent infestations, disease outbreaks, extreme heat, and mass displacement.
“Families struggle to access safe conditions, housing, food, clean drinking water, education and health care. Many people still sleep in the open or go to bed hungry,” Guterres said.
© UNRWA UNRWA Medical Center in Gaza.
He noted the deteriorating situation in the occupied West Bank, where Palestinians face ongoing settler violence, settlement expansion, home destruction, land confiscation, restrictions on movement and the growing threat of annexation.
Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, Syria and Jordan.
$100 million deficit
The Secretary-General recalled that for decades, UNRWA has been providing emergency relief and essential services to the Palestinians. However, the agency now finds itself in an extremely difficult financial situation. fulfill its ongoing obligations.
“I am deeply concerned about UNRWA’s liquidity crisis, which threatens the implementation of its mandate,” the UN chief said.
He stressed that this is a mandate approved by the General Assembly and renewed just six months ago with broad support from Member States, under which the agency provides vital assistance to 2.6 million people.
The indispensable role of the agency
Guterres called UNRWA one of the key factors for stability in the region.
He said the agency’s staff – doctors, nurses, teachers, psychologists, engineers and other specialists – help millions of people every day and are highly trusted by local communities.
In Gaza, UNRWA remains the largest provider of primary health care. The agency conducts vaccination campaigns, monitors children’s nutritional status, monitors water quality, carries out pest control, operates water wells and desalination plants, manages waste, provides psychosocial support and helps children continue their education in emergency conditions.
The agency also has a critical role to play in the sector’s recovery, the Secretary-General said. No organization can replace UNRWA, he stressed.
Pressure on UNRWA
“I am appalled by the ongoing attempts to dislodge and undermine UNRWA through disinformation, smear campaigns, legislative measures, operational restrictions and diplomatic obstruction,” the UN chief said.
These actions, he said, jeopardize the well-being of millions of Palestinians and the safety of agency staff.
Since October 2023, More than 390 UN staff were killed in Gaza and many more were injured or lost loved ones. All UNRWA facilities in the sector were damaged or destroyed, and the agency’s international personnel were not allowed into the occupied Palestinian territory for almost a year and a half. Guterres also condemned the seizure of the UNRWA compound in the Sheikh Jarrah area of East Jerusalem, calling it a violation of international law rights.
Call to States
The Secretary-General noted that the agency has implemented most of the recommendations of the independent review conducted in 2024, strengthened its adherence to humanitarian principles and continues to adapt its work to the new environment.
However, due to lack of funds, UNRWA has already been forced to cut services by 20 percent, cut salaries for most local staff and leave 15 percent of international positions unfilled.
© UNRWA UNRWA Medical Center in Gaza.
“Any further cuts could lead to the situation reaching a critical point,” the UN chief warned.
He stressed that UNRWA remains indispensable in efforts to create the conditions for a just and lasting two-state solution to the conflict.
In conclusion, the Secretary-General called on states to go beyond political support for the agency.
“I urge you to match this support with the necessary financial resources. Not next year. Not next month. Now,” said Guterres.
A sustainable solution
The President of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly, Annalena Baerbock, speaking at the meeting, also called on states to urgently increase support for UNRWA, emphasizing that the agency was never intended to be a permanent aid mechanism. It was created in 1949 in anticipation of a political settlement and the implementation of the principle of coexistence of two states – Israel and Palestine.
“UNRWA was never meant to exist permanently,” Burbock said. Today, however, nearly 5.9 million Palestinian refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip fall under its mandate.
“In 2025, UNRWA received $829 million in contributions, including $76 million from the UN regular budget,” added the President of the General Assembly. “However, against a backdrop of needs estimated at $3.3 billion, this funding covered only about 27 percent of what the agency needed.” a job who can replace him?,” she said.
Without schools, health care, clean water and other basic services, Burbock said, achieving a just and lasting peace would be nearly impossible. However, she stressed that funding for UNRWA alone will not solve the crisis. What is needed is a sustainable ceasefire in Gaza, respect for international law, unimpeded humanitarian access and real steps towards a two-state solution.
“The creation of a Palestinian state will mean that UNRWA will no longer be needed. Until that day comes, let’s not stop working towards a two-state solution. And let’s not stop supporting UNRWA,” she concluded.