UN Secretary-General António Guterres stressed on Friday that the UNRWA agency, which supports Palestinian refugees, is facing a massive budget deficit and a torrent of misinformation.
“UNRWA’s work must be politically supported and the distortion that threatens one of the few remaining lifelines for many Palestine refugees must be addressed,” Guterres said during a ministerial meeting held on the sidelines of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly, according to the UN News Center. He stressed the need to ensure the agency’s funding “urgently and fully” so it can carry out its mandate.
Expressing his gratitude to UNRWA staff in Gaza, more than 370 of whom have been killed during the ongoing tragic events, he said: “Their brave and dedicated heroism for the people of Gaza inspires the world, and we will never forget their heroism.”
For his part, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said, “For nearly two years, the world has witnessed a horrific disregard for life and international law” in the occupied Palestinian territory, stressing that the famine in Gaza is a blatant consequence of inaction and impunity.
Lazzarini emphasized that the ongoing attacks on UNRWA aim to dismantle the agency, end the status of Palestinian refugees, and further undermine the prospects for a two-state solution.
