UN chief warns UNRWA’s work and mandate in jeopardy

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that the work and mandate of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) for Palestinian refugees are at risk. Speaking at the agency's annual ministerial meeting during High-Level Week in New York, Guterres stated that UNRWA continues to operate under "extraordinary pressure" as nearly 400 of its staff in Gaza were killed and many of its facilities in the Occupied Palestinian Territories were destroyed.

Despite the challenging circumstances, UNRWA persists in providing essential public services to Palestinian refugees. However, Guterres emphasized that the agency's work and mandate from the General Assembly are now in jeopardy. In 2020, the Israeli Knesset passed legislation that prohibits UNRWA from operating on Israeli territory, including East Jerusalem, and prevents Israeli officials from cooperating with the agency. In January, Israeli forces seized and began demolishing UNRWA's main compound in Jerusalem.

The UN and several states argue that the Israeli laws passed by the Knesset violate Israel's obligations under the UN Charter and Security Council Resolution 2730 on the protection of humanitarian personnel. Guterres noted that UNRWA has been excluded from coordination meetings with Israeli authorities on humanitarian operations in Gaza and is no longer granted visas to its staff.

Furthermore, UNRWA personnel have faced intimidation, and the agency is currently facing a severe financial crisis with a cash shortfall of US$100 million, threatening the welfare of millions of Palestinian refugees.

Guterres called on member states to take immediate action to support UNRWA, stating that its capacity to operate is "seriously imperilled" and that regional stability is at stake. He highlighted that continued Israeli attacks are killing an average of four people a day, with a quarter of the victims being children. The UN chief also emphasized that international law is being "brazenly violated" and that Israeli settler attacks and settlement expansion in the West Bank have pushed Palestinians to a breaking point, threatening the two-state solution.