Qatar vows unwavering support for UNRWA

The State of Qatar has reaffirmed its steadfast support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), emphasising its commitment to international obligations, multilateral efforts, and its unwavering stance in supporting the Palestinian people. Qatar also stressed that it would continue its political, diplomatic, and financial support for the agency, which is essential for addressing the urgent humanitarian needs of the Palestinian people.

This came in Qatar's statement delivered by Second Secretary at Qatar's Permanent Mission to the United Nations Sheikh Jassim bin Abdulaziz Al-Thani, during the Fourth Committee of the UN General Assembly's discussion on Agenda Item 49 regarding UNRWA, held at the UN headquarters in New York.

He noted that UNRWA has, since its establishment, been providing essential services and critical needs to over 5 million Palestinian refugees across the occupied Palestinian territories, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria. It serves as the backbone of humanitarian aid in Gaza. He emphasized that its existence and continued operations are intrinsically tied to ending the occupation and enabling the Palestinian people to exercise their right to self-determination.

He also highlighted the State of Qatar's role as the first Arab country to sign a multi-year agreement with UNRWA in 2018 and one of its largest supporters, with the countrys financial contributions to the agency amounted to over $49 million in 2024.

He said that the besieged Palestinian people in Gaza continue to face catastrophic humanitarian conditions, with access to essential aid being obstructed, and food and medicine weaponized against them. He added that the prohibition of UNRWA's activities will result in severe humanitarian and political consequences, particularly depriving millions of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank of essential services, undermining the legal status of the Palestinian refugee issue and their right to return to their homes and lands, as guaranteed by international law and relevant UN resolutions, notably General Assembly Resolution 194 and Security Council Resolution 237.

Qatar called on the General Assembly, as the body that mandated UNRWA, to fulfill its responsibility to prevent the agencys collapse. It also urged UN member states and the international community to act against the enforcement of legislation targeting UNRWA, emphasizing that saving the agency equates to saving humanity, the purposes of the UN Charter, and multilateral efforts.

Qatar expressed its gratitude to UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini and his team for their efforts in carrying out the agencys mandate under unprecedentedly challenging conditions. Qatar also conveyed its condolences for the loss of UNRWA staff, noting that at least 237 UNRWA employees have been killed since the beginning of the Israeli aggression, as part of a systematic targeting of aid workers, which has claimed the lives of 322 humanitarian workers to date.

The State of Qatar reiterated its condemnation of the Israeli Knesset's enactment of laws banning UNRWA activities in the occupied Palestinian territories, describing it as a dangerous precedent against the UN and multilateral efforts, and a systematic attack on the vital humanitarian activities of the agency. Qatar stressed the importance of supporting and renewing UNRWA's mandate in accordance with its founding resolution, General Assembly Resolution 302 of 1949.

In conclusion, He said that the State of Qatar reaffirmed that the only viable resolution to this conflict lies in a comprehensive and just political solution to the Palestinian issue. It reiterated its unwavering stance on the justice of the Palestinian cause and the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people based on international law, including their right to self-determination, the right of return, and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital.