Press Conference (Transcript as Delivered) UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini (27 May 2024)
UNRWA
27 May 2024
Beirut
Thank you and good morning.
First of all, it is my first visit in a few months here in Beirut. I would have come earlier but as you all know Gaza and the issues related to the agency have taken a lot of my time but let me start first by thanking you for the coverage of the situation here in the region.
Now, I just met the Prime Minister Mikati this morning.
Basically, we were first talking about the situation in Rafah.
You see how dramatically the situation is evolving.
We have already more than 1 million people who have been recently displaced.
Again, half the population of Gaza has been forced on the road and we are struggling to bring supply to the Gaza Strip, and you also saw last night again disturbing images of people, of mass casualties, and reportedly that even (areas sheltering displaced families) were on fire and number of people have been killed.
Unfortunately, we have not been in contact yet because of the telecommunications difficulties with our team on the ground.
We will certainly be able to report more later on.
Now, we also discuss the overall financial situation of the agency.
As you know, we are basically functioning hand-to-mouth on a monthly basis.
The agency has been severely weakened by the financial crisis over the last few years, but it has also been accelerated in return at the time of the allegation that 12 staff might have participated in the horrible massacre of October 7.
At that time, you might remember 16 donors announced the freeze.
At that time, we have also taken a number of decisions.
The first decision was to terminate the contracts (of those staff).
The second one, to open an independent investigation.
And the third one, to ask former Minister of Foreign Affairs of France Catherine Colonna with the support of three Scandinavian institutes to look at all the risk management system and mechanisms of the agency.
You remember the outcome of this review was that the agency, as robust mechanism, is above the average of any other United Nations agencies in the region, but because of our footprint, because of the complex political environment, there are still a number of measures the agency can take, and this is what the Secretary General and myself have agreed to implement.
Now, since then, 14 donors - all the EU members, Japan, Australia, Canada have resumed their contribution to the agency.
And today, the only large donor missing is the United States, who have informed and announced that there will be no resumption before March 2025, and we have also the United Kingdom which has not yet announced its resumption.
So, all this to say that the situation remains financially precarious, but I have also told the Prime Minister that we will do whatever possible to keep all our activities running across the region including in Lebanon.
Now, we also discussed with the Prime Minister the attacks the agency is under.
We, as you know, already in Gaza the United Nations including UNRWA has been blatantly disregarded.
The number of UNRWA staff members who have been killed is unprecedented, 192 as of today, in addition to the number of premises which have been damaged or fully destroyed, the number of convoys which have been prevented or attacked.
And besides that - beyond that - we have also complaints going on to label the agency as a terrorist organization or to push the agency not only out of Gaza but also out of Jerusalem.
But we are not only under pressure there, I also raised a point with the Prime Minister that even here in Beirut we are under pressure.
For more than two months, our personnel and staff have not been allowed to access the (UNRWA) headquarters (in Beirut).
It reopened only last Friday with a one-week window.
This is not acceptable.
This is the United Nations, and United Nations personnel (should and) need to have access at any time to all its premises to make sure that services are provided to the population.
Now, we also know that the situation in the camps (in Lebanon) is very dire.
Poverty has reached skyrocketing proportions.
And we also (know) that education has been too frequently disrupted in the camps.
It is of utmost importance that the agency be able to continue to fulfill its mandate, and to support, assist, and protect Palestine Refugees, not only here in Lebanon but also the region.
We should never forget that many of the attacks the agency is under are ultimately aimed at stripping the Palestinian refugees from their rights, and we have to push back.
But incurring actions like the ones we see here are also undermining the ability of the agency to properly operate.
I heard from many staff how this is impacting the day-to-day life of the people in the camps, and I really hope that during my two days we will address this issue because this is what we owe to the Palestinian refugees in the camps here in Lebanon.
Thank you.
Background Information:
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.
|
NEWSLETTER
|
| Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list |
|
|
|
