{"id":281442,"date":"2022-08-31T15:12:18","date_gmt":"2022-08-31T19:12:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/?post_type=document&p=281442"},"modified":"2022-08-31T15:12:18","modified_gmt":"2022-08-31T19:12:18","slug":"address-by-unrwa-commissioner-general-lazzarini-to-eu-committee-on-foreign-affairs","status":"publish","type":"document","link":"https:\/\/www.un.org\/unispal\/document\/address-by-unrwa-commissioner-general-lazzarini-to-eu-committee-on-foreign-affairs\/","title":{"rendered":"Address by UNRWA Commissioner-General Lazzarini to EU Committee on Foreign Affairs"},"content":{"rendered":"

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31 August 2022<\/span><\/div>\n
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Thank\u00a0<\/span>you, M. McAllister,<\/span>\u00a0for the invitation to address this Committee, and sincere thanks<\/span>\u00a0to\u00a0<\/span>all\u00a0<\/span>the Members\u00a0present<\/span>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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I\u00a0<\/span>value our dialogue and highly appreciate our annual exchanges.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Let me start by stressing how the partnership between UNRWA and the European Union has\u00a0<\/span>grown stronger<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Last year we celebrated its 50th anniversary, with the signing of a new Joint Declaration.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The EU\u00a0<\/span>is\u00a0<\/span>one of the most reliable and strategic donors<\/span>\u00a0to the Agency<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0announcing\u00a0<\/span>once again this year\u00a0<\/span>predictable<\/span>\u00a0funding for\u00a0<\/span>three<\/span>\u00a0years<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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It is<\/span>\u00a0also thanks to\u00a0<\/span>this House<\/span>\u00a0that the EU continues to remain one of\u00a0<\/span>the\u00a0<\/span>strongest\u00a0<\/span>all<\/span>ies<\/span>\u00a0of UNRWA<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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I<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0therefore<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>wish to thank you for the continued shows of support,\u00a0<\/span>including\u00a0<\/span>through\u00a0<\/span>your appeals to sustain and increase EU<\/span>\u00a0funding to the Agency.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Dear Members of the Parliament<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The\u00a0<\/span>consequences of the\u00a0<\/span>war in Ukraine<\/span>\u00a0are being felt<\/span>\u00a0worldwid<\/span>e<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The countries\u00a0<\/span>UNRWA operates in\u00a0<\/span>are no exception.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The s<\/span>oaring\u00a0<\/span>prices of food and\u00a0<\/span>commodities are<\/span>\u00a0plunging<\/span>\u00a0Palestine\u00a0<\/span>refugees\u00a0<\/span>in the region<\/span>\u00a0into deeper poverty<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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In Gaza, the escalation of violence earlier this month was a stark reminder that war can erupt anytime in the absence of a genuine and comprehensive effort to resolve the conflict.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Over\u00a0<\/span>three<\/span>\u00a0days<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>60\u00a0<\/span>Palestine refugee\u00a0<\/span>families lost their home<\/span>. S<\/span>eventeen<\/span>\u00a0children<\/span>\u00a0were killed<\/span>. E<\/span>ight\u00a0<\/span>were students in\u00a0<\/span>our\u00a0<\/span>schools.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Almost\u00a0<\/span>one<\/span>\u00a0in\u00a0<\/span>two<\/span>\u00a0UNRWA student\u00a0<\/span>suffer<\/span>s<\/span>\u00a0from trauma and need<\/span>s<\/span>\u00a0special assistance to cope with the repeated cycles of violence and the economic hardship that their families go through.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Four of the five fields\u00a0<\/span>where UNRWA operates<\/span>\u00a0\u2013 namely Gaza,\u00a0<\/span>t<\/span>he West Bank\u00a0<\/span>–\u00a0<\/span>including East\u00a0<\/span>J<\/span>erusalem<\/span>–<\/span>, Syria and Lebanon –\u00a0<\/span>remain in crisis, with over eighty per cent of Palestine refugees in Gaza, Lebanon and Syria liv<\/span>ing<\/span>\u00a0below the poverty line.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Going to school, getting health services, receiving a food parcel are for\u00a0<\/span>millions of<\/span>\u00a0Palestine refugees their only sources of normality.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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They look to UNRWA for that normality.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Dear\u00a0<\/span>Members of Parliament<\/span><\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Today, o<\/span>ur<\/span>\u00a0collective achievements\u00a0<\/span>are\u00a0<\/span>at risk<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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T<\/span>he chronic underfunding\u00a0<\/span>of the Agency over the last decade\u00a0<\/span>makes<\/span>\u00a0it increasingly challenging for\u00a0<\/span>us<\/span>\u00a0to fulfil\u00a0<\/span>the<\/span>\u00a0mandate<\/span>\u00a0we received from the UN General Assembly<\/span>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Shifting geopolitical priorities, shifting regional dynamics, and the emergence of new humanitarian crises have deprioritized the Israeli- Palestinian conflict.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The Agency has also experienced more than once how a change in domestic politics can suspend support overnight.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Such abrupt changes are deeply unsettling.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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D<\/span>espite immense outreach efforts, funding has stagnated over the last decade, forcing us to operate with a shortfall of around US$ 100 million each year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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This might sound like a big figure, and it is.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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But in the larger scheme, this is the figure that will help continue injecting stability and hope among one of the most destitute and desperate communities in the region.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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For several years now,\u00a0<\/span>we have managed this underfunding internally.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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But w<\/span>e have depleted our reserves.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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We\u00a0<\/span>have run the Agency on repeated zero-growth budgets, despite increasing needs and cost of operation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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We<\/span>\u00a0reduced operational costs by over US$ 600 million since 2015.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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T<\/span>oday, we have reached the limits of austerity and cost control measures.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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T<\/span>o those asking whether the Agency can further reduce its services to match the available funds, I pose the following questions:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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How many children are we ready to put in one classroom<\/span>? In Gaza, it is already 50.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Which<\/span>\u00a0refugee patients should be denied life-saving hospitalization?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Which families who already report reducing\u00a0<\/span>their food intake should not be included in the next round of food or cash distribution?<\/p>\n

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Dear partners<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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For Palestine refugees, UNRWA remains the last pillar of the commitment of the international community to their right to a dignified life and to a just and lasting solution.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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A major aspect of the role of UNRWA in regional stability stems from the predictability of its high-quality services.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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But w<\/span>hen Palestine refugees see us delaying salaries, decreasing the quality of services and being unable to respond to increasing needs, they see the support of the international community fading.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Despair and sense of abandonment are growing<\/span>\u00a0in Palestine refugee camps.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Despair is\u00a0<\/span>a threat to peace and stability.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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You heard me saying that\u00a0<\/span>UNRWA is now facing an existential threat due to the nature of its financial crisis.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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This threat is real and should not be underestimated<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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T<\/span>he Agency is under three sources of intense pressure:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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F<\/span>irst,<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The commitment of the General Assembly to uphold the rights of Palestine refugees and its instruction to UNRWA to deliver\u00a0<\/span>a number of public-like services until a just and lasting solution.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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S<\/span>econd,<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The lack of sufficient funding from<\/span>\u00a0UN Member States to implement the mandate and the unpredictability of most of the funding.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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And lastly<\/span>,<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The\u00a0<\/span>perception that any changes to services or the way they are delivered is an attempt to encroach on the rights of the refugees. Hosts and refugees fear that it may lead to weakening UNRWA and, with time, dismantling it all together.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Failing to reconcile these<\/span>\u00a0demands will make the mandate more and more impossible to implement.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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It\u00a0<\/span>risks pushing over half a million UNRWA students into the streets.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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It will<\/span>\u00a0deny around two million patients access to health care.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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And t<\/span>wo million conflict affected refugees will be deprived of cash or food assistance.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Disruption of services<\/span><\/span>\u202fwould not only be the failure of UNRWA. It would be a collective failure and a failure of multilateralism<\/span>, so dear to this House.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Only a<\/span>\u00a0fully-funded program budget and predictable funding will allow the Agency to fulfill its mandate and continue to play its stabilizing role in a volatile region.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Let me reiterate here my deep gratitude\u00a0<\/span>to the EU for leading by example and not only provide predictable financial support but also support our outreach efforts to other UN Member States.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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A ministerial event co-hosted by Jordan and Sweden<\/span>\u00a0in September, with the participation of the UN Secretary-General, will discuss sustainable solutions to UNRWA financial challenges.<\/p>\n

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Mister Chair,<\/span>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Despite this immense challenge,\u00a0<\/span>UNRWA is continually looking to adapt and evolve to respond both to the protracted nature of conflicts and to new emergencies, stretching resources to service the greatest need.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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O<\/span>ur health services are already largely digitalized, and telemedicine, which started in Gaza as a response to the pandemic, is now being mainstreamed across all fields.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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As\u00a0<\/span>every child must be able to perform and compete in an increasingly digitalized world, UNRWA is committed to giving Palestine refugees that ability.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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We are\u00a0<\/span>putting educational technology and increasing digital literacy at the core of our education programme.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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And\u00a0<\/span>the EU is contributing directly to this goal by giving 3,000 tablets to Palestine refugees.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Let me pause here for a moment to address\u00a0<\/span>the value of UNRWA education.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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I want to do so<\/span>\u00a0because I think we share the same view: that education remains a powerful and fundamental tool in helping every child achieve their full potential and building peaceful societies.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Regrettably<\/span>, coordinated campaigns by politically motivated advocacy groups, targeting Parliaments of countries supporting the Agency, are increasing in frequency and maliciousness.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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T<\/span>hey do not have the well-being of Palestine refugee children at heart.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Sometimes, t<\/span>hey go as far as actively spreading false and baseless accusations in a sensationalist way.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Their aim?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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To u<\/span>ndermine\u202fthe Agency\u2019s\u202freputation and its\u202ffunding.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Their<\/span>\u00a0end goal?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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To undermine\u00a0<\/span>the rights of Palestine refugees.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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I will repeat what I mentioned last year to this\u00a0<\/span>Committee: UNRWA has zero tolerance for hate speech, incitement to violence and discrimination.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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But zero-tolerance does not equate to zero risk – especially in the complex and highly politicized and emotional environment in which we operate.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Therefore,\u00a0<\/span>we continue to spare no effort to uphold humanitarian principles, including neutrality, and the values of the United Nations:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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