{"id":267464,"date":"2021-11-16T16:00:35","date_gmt":"2021-11-16T21:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/?post_type=document&#038;p=267464"},"modified":"2021-11-16T16:03:25","modified_gmt":"2021-11-16T21:03:25","slug":"international-conference-on-unrwa-commissioner-generals-remarks","status":"publish","type":"document","link":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/document\/international-conference-on-unrwa-commissioner-generals-remarks\/","title":{"rendered":"International Conference on UNRWA &#8211; Commissioner-General&#8217;s Remarks"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.unrwa.org\/ar\/newsroom\/official-statements\/%D9%83%D9%84%D9%85%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D9%81%D9%88%D8%B6-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B9%D8%A7%D9%85-%D8%AE%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%84-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%A4%D8%AA%D9%85%D8%B1-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AF%D9%88%D9%84%D9%8A\">Arabic: \u0627\u0644\u0639\u0631\u0628\u064a\u0629<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Your Excellencies,\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I want to express my sincere gratitude to\u00a0each of\u00a0you for being with us today.<\/p>\n<p>Your presence, as you have heard from the Secretary-General,\u00a0is a testimony of our shared commitment\u00a0to\u00a0preserve\u00a0the rights and human development of Palestine refugees.<\/p>\n<p>I want to thank\u00a0in particular the\u00a0Deputy Prime Minister and\u00a0Foreign Minister of Jordan, Ayman Safadi, and the Foreign Minister of Sweden, Anne Linde, for their leadership in bringing us together today at this crucial time in UNRWA\u2019s history.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Excellencies,<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>We are meeting today, at a time\u00a0when\u00a0UNRWA has an ambitious vision\u00a0which I am pleased to outline.<\/p>\n<p>Our\u00a0vision\u00a0is to\u00a0deliver our services in line with\u00a0our\u00a0times.<\/p>\n<p>It rests on the\u00a0commitment\u00a0to\u00a0\u201cLeave no\u00a0Palestine refugee behind.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It is about ensuring that\u00a0UNRWA services continue\u00a0to\u00a0accompany\u00a0all\u00a0refugees on their transformative journey towards self-reliance.<\/p>\n<p>Our vision will ensure that Palestine refugees do not miss the train of global digital transformation.<\/p>\n<p>In\u00a0our schools and in our vocational training centers\u00a0this\u00a0means\u00a0developing the\u00a0type of\u00a0digital literacy\u00a0that\u00a0will allow children and youth\u00a0to\u00a0fully engage in today\u2019s technological revolution.<\/p>\n<p>You may have heard of\u00a0Loay\u00a0Albasiony\u00a0&#8211;\u00a0who went from an UNRWA school in Gaza to being a successful engineer at NASA.<\/p>\n<p>We want many more\u00a0Palestine refugee\u00a0youth to go from UNRWA to\u00a0NASA, or\u00a0from UNRWA to\u00a0medical research\u00a0or\u00a0from UNRWA\u00a0to any innovative start up\u00a0that\u00a0is\u00a0pushing the\u00a0boundaries of human possibilities.<\/p>\n<p>This\u00a0wager on digital opportunities is\u00a0not a pipe dream:\u00a0from\u00a0an\u00a0UNRWA\u00a0IT hub in\u00a0Gaza Palestine refugees are\u00a0already\u00a0providing high quality IT services to a growing list of clients\u00a0worldwide.\u00a0\u00a0And this was incubated in our offices in Gaza.<\/p>\n<p>We also want to build on our pandemic response, when UNRWA was able to quickly switch to remote solutions and avoid significant interruptions of services.<\/p>\n<p>We\u00a0want to expand\u00a0the use of\u00a0digital tools to complement and enrich face- to-face services.\u00a0That\u00a0way health\u00a0services, for example,\u00a0will be\u00a0safer,\u00a0faster\u00a0and easier to access through\u00a0digital platforms.<\/p>\n<p>This\u00a0transformation\u00a0is\u00a0also\u00a0about\u00a0making our\u00a0management practices\u00a0more inclusive,\u00a0more\u00a0open\u00a0and receptive\u00a0to new voices from across our staff.<\/p>\n<p>It means\u00a0breaking siloes across the Agency to better address\u00a0specific needs, namely\u00a0those related to\u00a0mental health,\u00a0disability\u00a0and sexual violence.<\/p>\n<p>Modernization drives our efforts to seek new funding\u00a0relationships.<\/p>\n<p>Modernization\u00a0underpins our digital fundraising ambitions\u00a0and efforts to broaden our donor base through global and regional financial institutions,\u00a0the private sector and\u00a0development banks.<\/p>\n<p>Finally, in line with the times\u00a0as well as with past practices,we\u00a0will maintain\u00a0UNRWA\u2019s recognized efficiency\u00a0and value for money\u00a0which has recently been\u00a0reaffirmed\u00a0by\u00a0UNHCR and the World Bank\u00a0when they assessed our education system.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Excellencies<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>To implement this vision, we must face\u00a0a moment of truth.<\/p>\n<p>Financial and political threats\u00a0of\u00a0a truly\u00a0existential nature are\u00a0working against this vision.<\/p>\n<p>If\u00a0these\u00a0threats\u00a0are\u00a0not addressed decisively,\u00a0they\u00a0will create\u00a0a vacuum and\u00a0a human\u00a0disaster\u00a0that\u00a0this region simply\u00a0can\u00a0not\u00a0afford.<\/p>\n<p>As\u00a0you have just heard from the UN Secretary-General, the services\u00a0delivered by UNRWA\u00a0enable refugees to accomplish remarkable things, despite the challenges they face.<\/p>\n<p>These achievements are widely known and recognized.<\/p>\n<p>Yet,\u00a0the\u00a0almost unanimous\u00a0political support for\u00a0the\u00a0UNRWA\u00a0mandate is not translated into matching funding support.<\/p>\n<p>Resources have stagnated since 2013\u00a0while:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\u00a0Multiple major crises have hit the region, and<\/li>\n<li>Needs and expectations for UNRWA to deliver have increased.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>As a result,\u00a0financial\u00a0crises\u00a0have\u00a0increased\u00a0in\u00a0frequency and severity.<\/p>\n<p>These crises\u00a0are causing immense distress amongst refugees and staff.<\/p>\n<p>They are fueling a deep feeling of\u00a0abandonment\u00a0by the international community.<\/p>\n<p>Despair and anger are boiling in the camps.<\/p>\n<p>At the end of\u00a0last year,\u00a0UNRWA barely avoided a financial collapse.<\/p>\n<p>And as\u00a0we convene\u00a0today,\u00a0I am faced\u00a0with the\u00a0same uncertainty\u00a0as I do not\u00a0know if\u00a0UNRWA\u00a0will\u00a0receive sufficient funding to keep all its services running\u00a0in November and December.<\/p>\n<p>That means our entire operation\u00a0is\u00a0compromised.<\/p>\n<p>Close to 400,000 Palestine refugees wonder when they will receive their cash assistance\u00a0without which they cannot\u00a0make ends meet.<\/p>\n<p>Our health centers\u00a0are\u00a0unable to fill\u00a0their\u00a0stocks of medicine.<\/p>\n<p>Unpaid internet and electricity bills risk undermining our basic capacity to work.<\/p>\n<p>And\u00a0our staff must deal with frozen benefits\u00a0and delayed salaries\u00a0while being asked to continue to work.<\/p>\n<p>I am painfully aware of the sacrifices they are asked to make.<\/p>\n<p>Failure to maintain services\u00a0will\u00a0have a dramatic impact on the refugees.<\/p>\n<p>Over 2 million poor and conflict-affected refugees\u00a0will\u00a0be left without food and cash assistance.<\/p>\n<p>More than half\u00a0a million\u00a0girls and boys\u00a0will lose their right\u00a0to \u00a0education.<\/p>\n<p>COVID-19 vaccination rollout,\u00a0in the midst of\u00a0a pandemic,will\u00a0come to a halt.<\/p>\n<p>Maternal and childcare\u00a0will\u00a0stop.<\/p>\n<p>Long-standing human development gains\u00a0can\u00a0be reversed.<\/p>\n<p>This\u00a0situation is neither fair nor sustainable.<\/p>\n<p>Failing the rights, hopes and expectations\u00a0of \u00a0Palestine\u00a0refugees should not be an option\u00a0for those interested in peace and stability.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Excellencies,<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Our operations, a lifeline to Palestine refugees, can be maintained at a minimum of US$ 800 million per year, for several years to come, with an expected annual natural growth.<\/p>\n<p>I also call today for a one-time capital injection of US$ 100 million to bring UNRWA and personnel back to their full capacity.<\/p>\n<p>Austerity and cost reduction measures have depleted our assets and reduced our workforce to the bare minimum.<\/p>\n<p>This has a severe impact on our service delivery.<\/p>\n<p>Quality of learning is not the same when 25 children or up to 50 are in one classroom.<\/p>\n<p>Health services are not the same when a doctor-patient visit lasts no more than three minutes.<\/p>\n<p>And most of our IT assets are completely obsolete.<\/p>\n<p>We can&#8217;t sustain further budget reductions.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Friends of UNRWA,<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>These\u00a0financial\u00a0threats\u00a0are closely connected to\u00a0the\u00a0vicious and increasingly frequent\u00a0political attacks\u00a0that UNRWA is facing.<\/p>\n<p>We need to address these attacks for what they are.<\/p>\n<p>Their objective?<\/p>\n<p>To erase the rights of over 5.7 million registered Palestine refugees as\u00a0enshrined in international law and UN resolutions.<\/p>\n<p>How?<\/p>\n<p>By\u00a0weakening the\u00a0Agency,\u00a0through baseless accusations\u00a0of\u00a0politicization\u00a0and incitement.<\/p>\n<p>This is both na\u00efve and dangerous.<\/p>\n<p>Let me be clear: as Commissioner-General and\u00a0as a UN Agency, we have absolutely zero tolerance for any word or action that seeks to spread hatred,\u00a0discrimination\u00a0or violence towards any other individual, people or country.<\/p>\n<p>And you will hear more about that in the next session from the Deputy Commissioner-General.<\/p>\n<p>But there is nothing like\u00a0zero risk\u00a0when operating in\u00a0the context of the longest unresolved\u00a0conflict;\u00a0a highly divided and emotional environment.<\/p>\n<p>No\u00a0Agency\u00a0invests\u00a0more\u00a0than\u00a0UNRWA\u00a0into\u00a0mitigating these risks.<\/p>\n<p>These attacks will likely continue, and even grow in viciousness.<\/p>\n<p>The lack of a political horizon and donor fatigue is no excuse to divert us from the imperative to protect the most vulnerable.<\/p>\n<p>I hope everyone can agree:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>with the need to ensure every refugee, wherever she or he lives, has access to education to become active and positive citizens of the world;<\/li>\n<li>with the imperative of providing maternal care to a refugee in a camp in Lebanon;<\/li>\n<li>with\u00a0the necessity of humanitarian assistance to destitute refugee families in Gaza or in Syria.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>That is\u00a0the\u00a0UNRWA mandate. It is what we\u00a0do, nothing more, nothing less.<\/p>\n<p>And let\u00a0me\u00a0stress\u00a0an\u00a0obvious\u00a0but tragic reality: No one wants to be a refugee, from one\u00a0generaton\u00a0to another.<\/p>\n<p>So together\u00a0we need to do more to counter these attacks,\u00a0to expose their\u00a0political agendas\u00a0and shield Palestine refugees\u00a0from the crippling impact\u00a0of these attacks.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Excellencies,<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>UNRWA is\u00a0both\u00a0a truly compelling story\u00a0of\u00a0global solidarity\u00a0in action\u00a0and a tragic example of\u00a0ineffective and insufficient financial support that pushes it to\u00a0the brink.<\/p>\n<p>There is too much to lose.<\/p>\n<p>If we fail to find real solutions now and for the future,\u00a0the institution will very soon\u00a0jump\u00a0over the brink.<\/p>\n<p>This will\u00a0leave\u00a0an unstable vacuum in its wake.<\/p>\n<p>And no environment likes\u00a0a\u00a0vaccum.<\/p>\n<p>Something else\u00a0could emerge, something which could have lasting and definitive impact on\u00a0the aspirations of\u00a0Palestine refugees and more broadly on the region.<\/p>\n<p>This can be prevented.<\/p>\n<p>Today\u00a0I\u00a0ask\u00a0you, representatives\u00a0of\u00a0the\u00a0United Nations\u00a0Member States, to\u00a0translate\u00a0your\u00a0political support\u00a0into predictable, sufficient and sustainable resources\u00a0to UNRWA.<\/p>\n<p>Your support\u00a0will\u00a0ensure that\u00a0UNRWA\u00a0continues to be\u00a0the irreplaceable and\u00a0trusted lifeline for Palestine refugees\u00a0until a fair and lasting political solution\u00a0is achieved.<\/p>\n<p>Thank you<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Arabic: \u0627\u0644\u0639\u0631\u0628\u064a\u0629 Your Excellencies,\u00a0 I want to express my sincere gratitude to\u00a0each of\u00a0you for being with us today. Your presence, as you have heard from the Secretary-General,\u00a0is a testimony of our shared commitment\u00a0to\u00a0preserve\u00a0the rights and human development of Palestine refugees. I want to thank\u00a0in particular the\u00a0Deputy Prime Minister and\u00a0Foreign Minister of Jordan, Ayman Safadi, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/document\/international-conference-on-unrwa-commissioner-generals-remarks\/\"> [&#8230;]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":172,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"template":"template-page.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"country":[909,1029],"document-category":[2637,1338],"document-source":[1817],"committee-meeting":[],"document-subject":[1945,2441,2153,1745],"entity":[1985,1729],"document-language":[6544],"class_list":["post-267464","document","type-document","status-publish","hentry","country-jordan","country-norway","document-category-remarks","document-category-statement","document-source-united-nations-relief-and-works-agency-for-palestine-refugees-in-the-near-east-unrwa","document-subject-assistance","document-subject-education-and-culture","document-subject-refugee-camps","document-subject-refugees-and-displaced-persons","entity-state","entity-united-nations-system","document-language-arabic"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/267464","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/document"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/172"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document\/267464\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=267464"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"country","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/country?post=267464"},{"taxonomy":"document-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-category?post=267464"},{"taxonomy":"document-source","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-source?post=267464"},{"taxonomy":"committee-meeting","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/committee-meeting?post=267464"},{"taxonomy":"document-subject","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-subject?post=267464"},{"taxonomy":"entity","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/entity?post=267464"},{"taxonomy":"document-language","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/document-language?post=267464"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}