The United Nations General Assembly renews the mandate of UNRWA, and the Commissioner-General stresses the necessity of financing its services

The Fourth Committee of the General Assembly is the Committee on Special Political Questions and Decolonization.

in decisionThe General Assembly expressed its regret that the refugees had not been returned to their homes or compensated, and said that their conditions still raise serious concerns and stressed the importance of providing assistance to them to meet their basic health, educational and living needs.

The resolution stressed the necessity of continuing the work of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).UNRWA) and the importance of carrying out its operations without hindrance until a just solution to the Palestinian refugee issue is reached, and decided to renew its mandate until June 30, 2029.

In support of the rights and future of Palestine refugees

Before the vote, the Agency’s Commissioner-General, Philippe Lazzarini, stressed the importance of renewing UNRWA’s mandate to assist and protect Palestine refugees until a just and lasting solution to their plight is reached.

He stressed the need for this to be accompanied by adequate funding for the public services provided by UNRWA so that the rights, lives and future of millions of refugees are not at risk.

The Commissioner-General was speaking before a meeting of the UNRWA Advisory Committee in the Jordanian capital, Amman. He pointed to the Security Council’s adoption of Resolution No. 2803, which authorizes the formation of a peace council and an international force to achieve stability in Gaza. Lazzarini expressed hope that the resolution would represent a step towards achieving lasting peace and respect for human rights.

UNRWA is fully operational in Gaza

Lazzarini said that the situation in Gaza at the present time is still unstable, and he spoke about the suffering of the population after two years of continuous bombing, repeated displacement, and a harsh siege. He pointed to the spread of hunger, disease, and the enormous scope of physical and psychological trauma.

He stressed the importance of restoring security, expanding the scope of humanitarian aid, and resuming the provision of public services as soon as possible. He denied what was said about UNRWA no longer working in Gaza, saying: “This is far from reality. The agency remains operational and is the largest provider of public health and education services.”

West Bank

Philippe Lazzarini spoke about the situation in the West Bank and the forced displacement – due to the operations of the Israeli security forces – of more than 32 thousand people from refugee camps in the north. He said that this was the largest displacement of Palestine refugees since 1967.

The UN official also touched on the fact that settler violence has reached unprecedented levels, with more than 500 violent incidents recorded during the month of October alone.

Lazzarini also spoke about the critically important services provided by UNRWA outside the occupied Palestinian territory, in Lebanon, Syria and Jordan.

Since October 7, 2023, 380 UNRWA employees have been killed in Gaza, and more than 300 agency buildings have been destroyed or damaged, in addition to “a large number of its employees being subjected to arbitrary detention and torture,” Lazzarini said.