On 28 August 2025, the United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People convened its 424th meeting at UN Headquarters in New York.
During the session, the Committee adopted its Annual Report for submission to the General Assembly (document A/80/35), with Jaime Hermida Castillo (Nicaragua), Vice-Chair of the Committee, presenting the annual report. The report, he said, reflects recent developments, including “the approval of more illegal settlements in the E1 area of the occupied West Bank”, the confirmation of famine in Gaza and outcomes of the Cairo ministerial conference on humanitarian response. The report further condemns Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, urges an immediate ceasefire and humanitarian access, and calls on Member States to pressure Israel to lift the blockade and end actions that violate international law.
The Committee also discussed the preliminary outcomes of the High-Level Conference on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine, held on 28-30 July 2025. The meeting featured briefings by the co-chairs of the High-Level Conference, France and Saudi Arabia, who shared key takeaways aimed at reinvigorating international efforts toward a just and lasting peace and urged Member States to rally behind the Conference’s outcome document and recognize the State of Palestine. The discussion underscored the importance of the Assembly’s segment on 22 September in New York, where the presence of Heads of State and Government will be vital to endorse the New York Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution.
Mourad Wahba, Director ad interim, UNRWA Liaison Office in New York, briefing the Committee on the latest developments in Gaza, recalled the words of his predecessor, who said last February that the rights of Palestinian people in the occupied Palestinian territories have never been so jeopardized and violated, and the very Agency which was established by the General Assembly was also in great danger. UNRWA’s current financial crisis is “of a magnitude we have not seen,” he said, adding: “Even if the Agency manages to maintain its operations through the end of 2025, the ability to operate in 2026 is at serious risk.”
In this context, he called for the pushing back against the implementation of the Knesset legislation aimed at the Agency, and against any violation against the privileges and immunities of an UN organization. He also called for a political path forward that delineates UNRWA’s role as a provider of education and healthcare. “The Agency is essential for ensuring a viable political transition.” As well, he called for ensuring that a financial crisis does not abruptly end UNRWA’s life-saving work, adding: “The Agency cannot continue to operate in the face of extraordinary challenges without adequate resources.”