UNITED NATIONS, July 01 — UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday called on the international community to match political support for the UN relief agency for Palestine refugees with “the necessary financial resources.”
“Your political support is crucial” for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), Guterres said in remarks at a meeting of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) Ad Hoc Committee for the Announcement of Voluntary Contributions to UNRWA.
“But I urge you to match it with the necessary financial resources,” he said.
Warning that the safety and welfare of millions of Palestine refugees hang in the balance in Gaza, the occupied West Bank, Syria and Jordan, the UN chief said that for generations, Palestine refugees have counted on UNRWA for registration, emergency assistance and essential public services.
Despite austerity and cost-control measures, a deficit of 100 million U.S. dollars prevents the agency from meeting its current obligations, he said. “I am deeply concerned about UNRWA’s liquidity crisis, which jeopardizes its ability to implement its mandate.”
He warned against continuing efforts to marginalize and undermine UNRWA, including disinformation, smear campaigns, legislative actions, operational restrictions and diplomatic roadblocks, which he said threaten the well-being of millions of Palestinians.
Guterres recalled that since October 2023, more than 390 UNRWA personnel in Gaza have been killed, and every single one of the agency’s premises in the Strip has been damaged or destroyed. “I condemn these actions in the strongest terms, and call for adherence to international law,” he stated.
He noted that the agency is working hard to adapt to new realities, with a sharper focus on building self-reliance, more sustainable, cost-effective and efficient ways to deliver services, and strict cash-flow management.
But earlier this year, UNRWA was compelled to reduce its service delivery hours by 20 percent, which meant reducing salaries for most local personnel, keeping 15 percent of international posts vacant, and exposing Palestine refugees to more hardship, he said.
“Any further cuts could push conditions past the breaking point,” said Guterres.
In her remarks, UNGA President Annalena Baerbock said that today, nearly 5.9 million registered Palestine refugees fall under UNRWA’s mandate across Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Gaza.
In 2025, UNRWA received 829 million dollars in contributions, including 76 million from the UN regular budget. Yet against needs of 3.3 billion dollars, that funding covered roughly 27 percent of what the agency required. For 2026, UNRWA confronts an unprecedented cash-flow deficit of 100 million dollars, according to Baerbock. She called on governments, philanthropic foundations, the private sector and individuals to urgently increase their contributions to the agency.
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict “will not be resolved by endless war, by permanent occupation, or by recurrent terror,” but will end only when Israelis and Palestinians can live side by side within their own sovereign and independent states, she said.
“A Palestinian state would mean that UNRWA is no longer needed,” said the UNGA president.
“UNRWA’s financial situation is untenable and the viability of our operations across the region is at stake,” said Christian Saunders, acting UNRWA commissioner-general, calling for full political support and necessary financial support.
UNRWA was established by the UNGA in 1949 with a mandate to provide humanitarian assistance and protection to registered Palestine refugees in the agency’s area of operations pending a just and lasting solution to their plight. (Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
