UNRWA funding shortfall looms: Jordan and Commissioner-General appeal for urgent aid

In a Sunday statement, Jordan's Minister of Foreign Affairs Ayman Safadi highlighted the "indispensable role" of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in delivering aid to over two million Palestinians facing a humanitarian catastrophe due to Israeli attacks on Gaza.

In a phone call on Sunday with UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini, Safadi urged the international community to continue providing essential assistance to the agency.

The statement stressed that Israel "refuses to allow the entry of sustainable humanitarian aid, a clear violation of international humanitarian law and a decision by the International Court of Justice."

Minister Safadi also highlighted the urgency of ensuring that the agency does not become subject to collective sanctions due to allegations against 12 of its 13,000 employees in Gaza, noting that the agency has initiated an investigation into these allegations.

Both Safadi and Lazzarini urged the countries that have announced the suspension of their support for UNRWA to reconsider their decisions, noting the agency's need to provide essential services that over two million Palestinians in Gaza rely on.

Lazzarini indicated that the agency has requested the United Nations Office of Internal Oversight Services, the highest UN investigative authority, to conduct an independent and transparent investigation into the allegations, as contracts for these employees have already been terminated.

He added that the ongoing investigation by the Office will work to establish the facts.

In addition, an independent review by external experts will assist UNRWA in enhancing its framework to ensure the total commitment of all its employees to humanitarian principles.

Both parties emphasized that any shortfall in UNRWA funding, a lifeline for the sector, "will immediately impact the agency's ability to provide humanitarian services to Gaza. It will cause further suffering for its residents, who have received only 10 percent of their needs in humanitarian aid since the start of the aggression," per the statement.