In a recent meeting of the UN Security Council, Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner General of the UN Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNWRA), strongly opposed the dissolution of his organization. He argued that doing so would not only be inadmissible, but would also have devastating consequences for millions of Palestinians.
Lazzarini emphasized that if UNWRA were to cease operations, many Palestinian refugees would lose their status as refugees and potentially become displaced once again. This could exacerbate food insecurity and make it more difficult to transition from a ceasefire to reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts in the Gaza Strip.
Furthermore, Lazzarini highlighted the impact that closing UNWRA would have on education in the region. With half a million boys and girls currently enrolled in its schools, depriving them of education would condemn an entire generation to despair and perpetuate cycles of violence. The meeting, which was initiated by Jordan, began with a minute’s silence in memory of the 178 UNRWA employees who died in Gaza.
The debate over the future of UNWRA is ongoing among international officials, with significant implications for the Palestinian refugee population. While Israel has accused UNRWA of complicity in Hamas’s crimes due to agency employees’ involvement in a recent attack, it remains the only organization with the infrastructure and personnel needed to provide essential humanitarian assistance to residents of the Gaza Strip.
