Statement of Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of UNRWA at the 421st meeting of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (Delivered by Greta Gunnarsdottir, Dir of UNRWA Representative Office)

05 February 2025

Mr. Secretary-General,

Mr. Chair,

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,

At the outset I would like to convey warm regards to you from the Commissioner-General of UNRWA, Philippe Lazzarini and thank the Committee for inviting UNRWA to speak at your meeting today.  I’m delivering the statement on his behalf.

Excellencies,

The Israeli Knesset legislation prohibiting UNRWA’s operations in the “sovereign territory of the State of Israel” and forbidding contact between Israeli officials and UNRWA representatives, entered into force last week.

The legislation, which contravenes international law and has been condemned by most UN Member States, creates significant operational challenges for the Agency.

The limitation of visas for international UNRWA staff in occupied East Jerusalem has effectively expelled them.

The United Nations has underlined to Israeli authorities that UNRWA’s compound in Sheikh Jarrah – which the Agency was compelled to evacuate after decades of use – remains a UN building, protected by privileges and immunities under international law.

Our local staff are continuing to work wherever possible across the occupied West Bank.

However, they do so at considerable personal risk in an increasingly hostile operating environment.

Thanks to them, UNRWA schools and health clinics remain open, providing essential services to Palestine Refugees.

This week, attendance at our schools has been above 85 percent and hundreds of people have sought treatment at our health centers.

Our operations in Gaza are also continuing and a core team of international staff is present.

It is unclear how our ability to operate will be constrained by the recently imposed prohibition on contact between UNRWA representatives and Israeli officials.

What is clear is that UNRWA remains firmly committed to staying and delivering its mandate from the General Assembly until it is no longer possible to do so.

Excellencies,

While the ceasefire in Gaza brings hope, the situation on the ground is dire and humanitarian needs are immense.

UNRWA is critical to the success of the ceasefire.

The Agency constitutes half the emergency response, with all other UN entities and NGOs delivering the other half.

Since October 2023, we have delivered two-thirds of all food assistance, provided shelter to over a million displaced persons, and vaccinated a quarter of a million children against polio.

Since the ceasefire began, UNRWA has distributed food to more than 750,000 people.

We conduct some 17,000 medical consultations every day, and have expanded our health services, including in Gaza City and North Gaza.

The resumption of education for hundreds of thousands of children remains a priority.

Children in Gaza have already lost two years of learning.

In January alone more than 260,000 children – half of them girls – enrolled in our online learning platform.

Absent a full-fledged State, only UNRWA has the capacity to bring the children back to learning.

Curtailing our operations now – when needs are so high, and trust in the international community is so low – will undermine the ceasefire.

It will sabotage Gaza’s recovery and political transition.

Excellencies,

In the occupied West Bank, violence is surging.

Large swathes of Jenin camp have been destroyed in controlled detonations by the Israeli Security Forces.

Depriving Palestine Refugees in the occupied West Bank of UNRWA’s education and healthcare services will only deepen their vulnerability.

Across the occupied Palestinian territory, undermining the Agency’s work will harm the lives and future of millions of Palestine Refugees.

Excellencies,

The Knesset legislation is part of a relentless campaign to dismantle UNRWA.

The Government of Israel is investing significant resources to portray the Agency as a terrorist organization, and our staff as terrorists or terrorist sympathizers.

Billboards and ads accusing UNRWA of terrorism were displayed in major cities around the world, including New York.

They were paid for by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Google ad campaigns re-direct those seeking information about the Agency to websites replete with disinformation.

The absurdity of anti-UNRWA propaganda does not diminish the threat it poses to our staff, especially those in the occupied West Bank and in Gaza – where 273 of our colleagues have been killed.

It sets a precedent for governments to accuse a United Nations entity of terrorism as a pretext to clamp down on human rights.

It sets a precedent for criminalizing humanitarian assistance and protection.

Excellencies,

The political attacks on the Agency are motivated by the desire to strip Palestine Refugees of their refugee status, thereby unilaterally changing the long-established parameters for a political solution.

The objective is to erase the history and identity of the Palestinians and deny them the right to self-determination, the very right that is at the heart of the mandate of this Committee.

To be clear, the rights of Palestine Refugees to protection and assistance are not derived from UNRWA’s mandate.

They exist independently of the Agency.

If UNRWA ceases to protect and assist Palestine Refugees, their rights will not only remain, but there will be much greater emphasis on the right to return or to be resettled, for which UNRWA has no mandate.

The threat posed by political efforts to dismantle UNRWA is compounded by financial challenges, with key donors deciding to end or reduce their contributions to the Agency.

I am therefore appealing for an urgent increase in financial support, the early disbursement of allocated funds, and a review of funding currently on hold.

Excellencies,

A ceasefire in Gaza must be followed by a political transition that includes an orderly conclusion of UNRWA’s mandate.

Only a political pathway can ensure the protection and welfare of Palestine Refugees, and peace and stability in the region and beyond.

A clear choice lies before us:

We can allow UNRWA to implode due to the Knesset legislation and the suspension of funding by key donors.

The impact on the rights and welfare of Palestine Refugees will be catastrophic.

Alternatively, we can allow the Agency to progressively conclude its mandate within the framework of a political process, and handover its public-like services to empowered and prepared Palestinian institutions.

To maximize UNRWA’s value in support of the ceasefire and any subsequent political transition, I appeal for the support of the international community on three actions:

First, push back against the implementation of the Knesset legislation.

UNRWA’s personnel and services are integral to the success of the ceasefire.

Preserving the Agency’s operational space is critical for upholding the rights of millions of Palestine Refugees.

Second, insist on a genuine 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.

Finally, ensure that a financial crisis does not abruptly end UNRWA’s lifesaving work.

The Agency cannot continue to operate in the face of extraordinary challenges without adequate resources.

For 75 years, UNRWA has been a stabilizing force and a committed partner for peace in the occupied Palestinian territory.

It must be allowed to remain so until a political solution is at hand.

Thank you.