- HE AlKhater stressed that review, transparency, and accountability regarding the agency's work are extremely important and that justice requires not to practise collective punishment on the Palestinian people unjustly
- Cessation of support for UNRWA, would affect Palestinian refugees in the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria: UNRWA chief
This came in a phone call made by HE Minister of State for International Co-operation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Lolwah bint Rashid AlKhater Monday with Commissioner-General of the UNRWA Philippe Lazzarini.
During the call, they discussed co-operation relations between Qatar and the UNRWA, especially in the humanitarian field in the Gaza Strip. They also discussed the importance of forming an international team to coordinate unhindered aid delivery to all areas of the Strip.
HE the Minister of State for International Co-operation affirmed the continuation of Qatar's contributions in providing urgent relief to the Gaza Strip. She urged the international donors to continue providing the necessary support, especially in light of the international community's failure to reach a political solution that leads to stopping the ongoing war on civilians in the Strip for four months.
She pointed out that the UNRWA supports millions of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria, warning that suspending its funding will negatively affect its work and its ability to respond to the urgent needs of Palestinians in all these regions.
HE AlKhater stressed that review, transparency, and accountability regarding the agency's work are extremely important and that justice requires not to practise collective punishment on the Palestinian people unjustly.
She said Qatar considers UNRWA to be one of the most important UN agencies, and therefore Qatar's donations to the agency increased during previous years. Qatar was also the first Arab country to sign a multi-year agreement with UNRWA in 2018 to support its main resources.
HE AlKhater voiced Qatar's call for meeting the vital humanitarian needs of the Palestinian people to remain a top priority for the international community, especially in light of their worsening suffering from the scourge of occupation, siege, war, and Israel's obstruction of the entry of aid in blatant defiance of international law and the provisional measures of the International Court of Justice in this regard.
The Commissioner-General of the UNRWA confirmed that the agency had taken all legal measures to investigate the allegations that affected a small group of its employees. In this regard, he stressed that the agency has remained and will remain committed to the values of the United Nations, and it should not be accused, punished, or overlooked for its major vital roles.
Lazzarini also warned of the consequences of the collective cessation of support for UNRWA, pointing out that this matter would pose an existential threat to the agency and could lead to the complete cessation of its work within weeks. He underscored that the repercussions would affect the Palestinian refugees in the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria, who depend almost entirely on UNRWA work in those areas.
