Finland discontinues €20 million UNRWA funding agreement
Finnish Foreign Trade Minister Ville Tavio previously suspended contributions to the agency in 2024 over allegations that UNRWA employees participated in Hamas’s October 7 massacre.
Finland has announced it will not renew its €20 million funding agreement with UNRWA, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. The decision follows a previous agreement signed in March 2023, which had provided Finland with a total of 20 million euros to the agency. Finnish Foreign Trade Minister Ville Tavio stated that while Finland will continue to support humanitarian efforts in Palestinian territories, it will no longer fund UNRWA directly.
Instead, Finland will contribute to other organizations like the World Food Programme. The decision came after allegations that UNRWA employees were involved in the October 7, 2023, massacre in Israel, which Tavio had previously suspended Finland's funding over. However, in January 2024, Finland's funding was reinstated following claims that UNRWA was improving oversight of its practices. Despite this, Israel praised Finland's decision, emphasizing the link between UNRWA and Hamas.
Written by urgent.news from Jerusalem Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
Also reported by 1 other outlet
- Finland to end funding for UNRWA after current agreement expires israelnationalnews.com
