Statement by UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini to the United Nations General Assembly Fourth Committee

13 November 2025

Mr. Chair,

Excellencies,

After two years of brutal warfare in Gaza, an uneasy truce offers some respite to a devastated population.

As people return to obliterated homes, search the rubble for missing relatives, and piece together their shattered lives, the future remains deeply uncertain.

The ceasefire is tenuous, with multiple breaches testing the resolve of its guarantors.

It is not enough to merely prolong the absence of war – we must chart a viable path to peace.

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The humanitarian needs and trauma in Gaza are overwhelming.

My team has endured two years of bombardment, displacement and siege.

They are grieving the killing of countless loved ones and more than 380 colleagues.

They are utterly exhausted, but they have never stopped working.

Their determination has been key to Gaza’s survival.

Today, UNRWA delivers 40% of all primary healthcare in Gaza, providing some 14,000 medical consultations each day.

We bolster public health through immunization campaigns, nutrition screenings, water quality testing, and pest control campaigns.

Our water wells, desalination systems, and waste management services benefit hundreds of thousands of people.

We conduct in-person learning for more than 40,000 children, and support nearly 300,000 children through online learning platforms.

Psychosocial support is integrated into our educational activities – both are critical for reviving hope and preventing radicalization.

Contrary to relentless disinformation, UNRWA’s education programme demonstrates a commitment to tolerance, human rights, gender equality and diversity that is unparalleled in the region.

We have held fast to these commitments, despite strong opposition and intimidation by Hamas and other groups.

We have succeeded in educating generations of Palestinians who are thriving global citizens, enriching communities across the region and beyond, in Europe and North America.

Excellencies,

The viability of political plans for Gaza depends on successful stabilization and recovery.

This requires rapidly scaling up humanitarian assistance and reinstating critical public services.

With its 12,000-strong workforce, and deep reserves of community trust, UNRWA’s capacity to deliver is unrivaled.

However, our operations continue to be undermined by political attacks and precarious finances.

The Israeli Knesset – which recently voted to annex the West Bank – adopted legislation in 2024 that forcibly removed UNRWA international staff from the occupied Palestinian territory and blocked the entry of our supplies into Gaza.

A virulent disinformation campaign has tarnished the Agency’s reputation and strangled funding for our vital work.

This September, the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on the occupied Palestinian territory, found that the laws adopted by the Knesset to cripple UNRWA’s operations, and the establishment of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, were calculated to block lifesaving aid and create “unlivable conditions of life” leading to the physical destruction of Palestinians in Gaza – a genocidal act.

In October, the International Court of Justice found that Israel is obliged to lift restrictions on UNRWA’s operations, and to agree to, and facilitate, the Agency’s relief efforts.

The Court recognized the unique and sustained connection between the Agency’s mandate and the realization of human rights for the Palestinian people, including the right to self-determination.

In short, safeguarding UNRWA’s mandate and operations is required under international law; it is vital to the survival of millions of Palestinians; and it is essential for a political solution.

Excellencies,

Despite UNRWA’s crucial role, our financial situation is dire.

Severe deficit and cashflow crises are jeopardizing the viability of our operations.

The steady implementation of austerity and cost control measures amounting to 150 million USD in 2025, and strict cashflow management, has ensured payment of almost all staff salaries until now.

However, it may not be possible to maintain UNRWA’s operations at their current scope and quality.

The shortfall between the last quarter of 2025 and the first quarter of 2026 is approximately 200 million USD.

Unlike in previous years, the projected income in the first quarter of 2026 is too low to absorb a large deficit from 2025.

In the absence of a significant influx of new funding, the delivery of critical services to millions of Palestine Refugees across the region will be compromised.

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Curtailing or ending UNRWA’s services will have grave consequences for the region.

In Gaza, it would undermine stabilization and recovery, jeopardizing a political path forward.

In the occupied West Bank, the loss of the Agency’s services to nearly a million Palestine Refugees would intensify the immense pressure on the Palestinian Authority.

It would exacerbate a volatile situation in which more than 30,000 Palestinians have been displaced by Israeli security operations, and settler violence is at unprecedented levels.

In Lebanon, UNRWA’s services are a lifeline for Palestine Refugees, most of whom face profound socioeconomic exclusion.

The Agency is essential for ensuring stability in refugee camps.

In Syria, UNRWA is critical for service delivery to a deeply vulnerable population of Palestine Refugees, and for supporting inclusive governance.

In Jordan, the government has repeatedly underscored the Agency’s crucial role and warned against its weakening.

Excellencies,

For decades, UNRWA has been a driver of human development in the region.

Today, the Agency is an invaluable multilateral asset.

Its contribution is crucial for implementing the New York Declaration and President Trump’s 20-Point Plan.

The Agency is a vital support to the Palestinian Authority as it pursues reform and builds the capacity to govern and serve the entire population of the occupied West Bank and Gaza.

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UNRWA was first established by the General Assembly as part of a broader equation toward peace and a just resolution of the Israel-Palestine conflict.

Efforts to marginalize the Agency aim to change long-established parameters for a future political solution.

For two years, UNRWA has weathered existential challenges, delivering its mandate against impossible odds in the occupied Palestinian territory.

The renewal of this mandate alone will not be sufficient to safeguard the Agency’s work, and the lives and future of Palestine Refugees.

Member States must take concrete steps to delineate UNRWA’s role within a timebound political process and to fully finance the provision of essential services until that process is complete.

To support the Agency is to invest in a political path forward, and to stand in true solidarity with all those committed to a lasting peace.

Thank you.