UNRWA Chief Addresses Ministerial Meeting at UN General Assembly

New York

Minister Vieira,

Minister Safadi,

Minister Albares,

Secretary-General,

President of the General Assembly,

Excellencies,

I am grateful to Brazil, Jordan and Spain for sponsoring this ministerial meeting on UNRWA.

This is an extraordinarily challenging time for the Middle East and for the world.

For Palestine Refugees, hardships multiply as hope for the future wanes.

In Gaza, the ceasefire has brought some relief, but millions live in profound insecurity.

Winter is approaching and humanitarian partners are warning of major gaps in our response, driven by severe funding shortfalls and continued restrictions on the entry of critical supplies.

94 per cent of people lack proper shelter. 90 per cent experience frequently disrupted access to clean water. 98 per cent of households live near environmental hazards, including sewage, rubble and rodents.

These are not mere statistics.

Behind every figure are children living in fear, hunger and trauma, and families struggling each day to meet even their most basic needs. Alleviating some of this distress is UNRWA and our partner agencies:

With more than 10,000 personnel on the ground, we continue to provide services and assistance to 1.7 million people

Our work ranges from managing more than 80 emergency shelters and bringing hundreds of thousands of children back to learning, to delivering some 70,000 medical consultations each week and providing clean water, sanitation and hygiene services to well over a million people.

The scale of UNRWA's operation in Gaza remains immense and the trust of the community is steadfast.

UNRWA remains an institution of considerable humanitarian and strategic value, with capabilities and expertise that are difficult to replicate today, in the humanitarian response, and tomorrow, in recovery and reconstruction.

To disregard these capabilities at a moment of such profound need is neither logical nor responsible.

Excellencies,

The situation in the West Bank is alarming and increasingly becoming untenable.

The displacement of Palestinians is at levels unseen since 1967 and settler violence goes unchecked, creating intolerable conditions of life.

In occupied East Jerusalem, measures taken to curb UNRWA's operations culminated in the seizure of the Agency's HQ, vocational training centre, schools and health infrastructure.

I think it is important to be aware that these actions in no way diminish the rights of Palestine Refugees nor contribute to resolving the Palestinian question.

But without a meaningful response grounded in international law and the United Nations Charter, we risk irreversibly eroding the foundations for a viable Palestinian state.

Excellencies,

Beyond the Occupied Palestinian Territory - in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria - UNRWA continues to play a vital, stabilising role.

But the Agency faces an extraordinary financial crisis, with a cashflow deficit of US$100 million for 2026.

Without additional support, we will be unable to sustain essential services.

We are doing everything possible to stretch dwindling resources. Strict austerity and cost-control measures remain in place and service-delivery hours have been reduced by 20 per cent, with corresponding salary cuts for most local staff.

On the issue of neutrality, we continue to steadily implement the recommendations arising from the Independent Review of UNRWA's neutrality.

41 out of 50 recommendations - more than 80 per cent - are now fully implemented. Most of the remaining recommendations are under implementation.

Excellencies,

Our commitment to safeguarding the integrity and neutrality of our workforce, and to honouring the trust placed in UNRWA by Member States, is unwavering.

We must recognise, however, that the Agency will continue to face attempts to distort facts, shape public perceptions through misinformation, and undermine our ability to serve Palestine Refugees.

Our response must be neither defensive nor distracted. It must be to remain steadfast in our principles, transparent in our actions, and accountable in the discharge of our responsibilities.

Let me therefore reiterate, unequivocally, that UNRWA's commitment to the principles and values of the United Nations Charter - and to an international order grounded in international law, justice and respect for human dignity - is unwavering.

Excellencies,

The path ahead is fraught and change is clearly necessary.

UNRWA must adapt to today's multilateral funding and political environment. As across the whole of the UN, financial stability also means a slimmer UNRWA. A slimmer UNRWA does not mean a change to the mandate or an undermining of General Assembly Resolution 302 (iv) or the political solution; UNRWA was never intended to be the counterweight for a political solution and a slimmer UNRWA can be more effective and no less a support of refugee rights.

We are working towards the delivery of services in a more cost-effective, efficient and data-informed manner, including by leveraging new technologies and closer cooperation with our partners. We are also placing greater emphasis on livelihoods and empowering Palestinian youth.

Having said this, we cannot succeed without your robust political and financial support.

I would like to conclude with two appeals:

First, for you to advocate for UNRWA to be given the space to operate within the Occupied Palestinian Territory in accordance with its mandate. Not for the mere sake of safeguarding the Agency but to bring to bear the skills, experience, infrastructure and community trust that we possess.

Second, provide the financial support we need to continue operating today, and tomorrow as we modernise and find better ways to serve Palestine Refugees.

Thank you.