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| #UNRWAworks |
Mr. Chair,
Excellencies,
After two years of brutal warfare in Gaza, an uneasy truce offers some respite to a devastated population.
As people return to obliterated homes, search the rubble for missing relatives, and piece together their shattered lives, the future remains deeply uncertain.
The ceasefire is tenuous, with multiple breaches testing the resolve of its guarantors.
It is not enough to merely prolong the absence of war – we must chart a viable path to peace.
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The humanitarian needs and trauma in Gaza are overwhelming.
My team has endured two years of bombardment, displacement and siege.
They are grieving the killing of countless loved ones and more than 380 colleagues.
They are utterly exhausted, but they have never stopped working.
Their determination has been key to Gaza’s survival.
Today, UNRWA delivers 40% of all primary healthcare in Gaza, providing some 14,000 medical consultations each day.
We bolster public health through immunization campaigns, nutrition screenings, water quality testing, and pest control campaigns.
Our water wells, desalination systems, and waste management services benefit hundreds of thousands of people.
We conduct in-person learning for more than 40,000 children, and support nearly 300,000 children through online learning platforms.
Psychosocial support is integrated into our educational activities – both are critical for reviving hope and preventing radicalization.
Contrary to relentless disinformation, UNRWA’s education programme demonstrates a commitment to tolerance, human rights, gender equality and diversity that is unparalleled in the region.
We have held fast to these commitments, despite strong opposition and intimidation by Hamas and other groups.
We have succeeded in educating generations of Palestinians who are thriving global citizens, enriching communities across the region and beyond, in Europe and North America.
Excellencies,
The viability of political plans for Gaza depends on successful stabilization and recovery.
This requires rapidly scaling up humanitarian assistance and reinstating critical public services.
With its 12,000-strong workforce, and deep reserves of community trust, UNRWA’s capacity to deliver is unrivaled.
However, our operations continue to be undermined by political attacks and precarious finances.
The Israeli Knesset – which recently voted to annex the West Bank – adopted legislation in 2024 that forcibly removed UNRWA international staff from the occupied Palestinian territory and blocked the entry of our supplies into Gaza.
A virulent disinformation campaign has tarnished the Agency’s reputation and strangled funding for our vital work.
This September, the United Nations Commission of Inquiry on the occupied Palestinian territory, found that the laws adopted by the Knesset to cripple UNRWA’s operations, and the establishment of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, were calculated to block lifesaving aid and create “unlivable conditions of life” leading to the physical destruction of Palestinians in Gaza – a genocidal act.
In October, the International Court of Justice found that Israel is obliged to lift restrictions on UNRWA’s operations, and to agree to, and facilitate, the Agency’s relief efforts.
The Court recognized the unique and sustained connection between the Agency’s mandate and the realization of human rights for the Palestinian people, including the right to self-determination.
In short, safeguarding UNRWA’s mandate and operations is required under international law; it is vital to the survival of millions of Palestinians; and it is essential for a political solution.
... READ MORE https://www.unrwa.org/newsroom/official-statements/statement-unrwa-commissioner-general-philippe-lazzarini-united-nations