It was an honour to have a private audience with His Holiness Pope Leo XIV.
I briefed him on the immense suffering endured by Palestinians in the Occupied Palestinian Territory as well as on the political and financial challenges confronting UNRWA.
I stressed that the attacks on UNRWA are an assault on the multilateral system and a defiance of international law with reverberations far beyond the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
I also stressed that bringing back to a learning environment the more than 600,000 girls and boys currently living in the rubble of Gaza should be our common priority to avoid a lost generation.
I sought the Holy Father's support to preserve UNRWA's critical services, primarily in the area of education, public health and safety nets for Palestine Refugees in Gaza and across the region until a just and fair political solution is in place.
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UNRWA is the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. The United Nations General Assembly established UNRWA 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.
UNRWA operates in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, The Gaza Strip, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.
Tens of thousands of Palestine refugees who lost their homes and livelihoods due to the 1948 conflict continue to be displaced and in need of support, nearly 75 years on.
UNRWA helps Palestine Refugees achieve their full potential in human development through quality services it provides in education, health care, relief and social services, protection, camp infrastructure and improvement, microfinance, and emergency assistance. UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions.
