Proposals for UNRWA Elimination Have Political Motives Behind Them: UNRWA Head | United Nations

The head of the UN agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) Philippe Lazzarini, told reporters, “UNRWA is an instrument of the Member States,” adding that “the attempt to eliminate UNRWA are not just based on neutrality breaches of some of the staff, but in reality has a much broader political objective behind it, which in a certain extent, is to eliminate the statue of refugees and make sure that this is not part of a final political settlement.”

Lazzarini spoke to reporters today (04 Mar) in New York after his address to the General Assembly.

Asked about the Agency’s report on alleged abuse of Gazans who were arrested after 7th October in Israeli detention, the UNRWA chief said, “we have indeed an internal report about their experiences. And this report now is also shared with relevant human rights entities dealing with detention.”

Lazzarini explained, “In Kerem Shalom, the logistic is UNRWA, there is absolutely no other agencies being there. And we have seen these people coming back from detention, some of them for a couple of weeks, some of them for a couple of months, and most of them coming back, completely traumatized by the ordeal they have gone through. These people have been regularly welcomed. We have provided dignity kit, we have provided food, we have provided the clothes, time to realize where they are back at, and indeed a number of people have been after that debrief about their ordeal.”

The Commissioner-General also said, “The only allegation that has been communicated to me has been on January 18, about 12 alleged staff. This is information which has been shared with me on an oral basis, but I felt that this was horrific enough, and serious enough to take the action that we have taken. All the other allegations have not been communicated to me, but if this allegation is being substantiated, we keep saying that it should cooperate with the UN and provide this to any team looking into this.”

Lazzarini also said, “I still believe today, the fact that we have taken swift decision, swifter action and that we have now, I mean, this review, we have the OIOS investigation will certainly allow once we show that we are properly indeed also following up on some of the recommendation. I believe that a number of countries will come back, all, certainly not, but the majority will come back.”

He continued, “My understanding, based on the discussion I had with many of the donors, they have taken the decision because they had to take the decision, most of the time for domestic reason, but many of the same donor see how indispensable the agency continue to be, and if the agency would be further undermined, what the impact would be in the short, medium term, but also politically.”