UNRWA Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini addresses the League of Arab States in Cairo on 10 September ©️ 2024 UNRWA Photo

CAIRO

Mr. Chair,

Secretary-General of the League of Arab States,  

Excellencies,

The last 11 months of war have been excruciating for the people of Gaza.

Eleven months of re-living old traumas of forced displacement and family separation.

Eleven months of enduring new traumas of extreme hunger and the return of devastating diseases like polio.

Today, Gaza is a place that horrifies even the most seasoned humanitarians.

It is a wasteland, unfit for human life.

And yet, two million people remain trapped there.

Almost the entire population is now concentrated in approximately 10 per cent of this narrow strip of land.

Masses of desperate people live amid rivers of sewage and mountains of garbage, alongside rats, cockroaches, snakes and scorpions.

Every single person is exhausted, sick, and long past the limits of their endurance.

It is utterly inhumane.

Excellencies,

I fear that if this darkness continues, we may become de-sensitized to the suffering of civilians in Gaza and start turning our backs to their plight – the lack of empathy and compassion we heard about before.

And if it becomes tiring to hear about Gaza, how can we comprehend how exhausting it is to live there?

This crisis does not only affect Palestinians in Gaza.

It has implications for all of us.

Arab States were among the first to recognize this reality and act.

One of the most consequential actions has been your extraordinary political and financial support to UNRWA.

The Agency has received nearly US$ 200 million from Arab partners since the war began.

This has enabled UNRWA to function as the backbone of the humanitarian operation in Gaza, providing lifesaving assistance to millions, including by supporting an ongoing vaccination campaign to control the spread of polio.

Our efforts and solidarity must continue unabated.

More than 600,000 girls and boys are out of school and living in the rubble.

The region cannot afford to lose an entire generation, which would sow the seeds for more hatred and extremism.

Bringing children back to learning is a matter of urgency that should mobilise us all.

Palestine Refugees across the region are facing exceptional challenges and are counting on a continuation of your exceptional generosity.

Excellencies,

The Agency, UNRWA, is the target of relentless attacks.

In Gaza, 214 UNRWA staff have been killed.

More than two-thirds of our buildings have been damaged or destroyed.

In the occupied West Bank – which is gripped by escalating violence – UNRWA’s operational space is shrinking.

Draft legislation in the Israeli Knesset seeks to evict the Agency from its premises of more than 70 years, revoke its privileges and immunities, and designate it as a terrorist organisation.

It is unprecedented and unconscionable that a UN Member State is attempting to designate a United Nations entity, which has a mandate from the General Assembly, as a terrorist organization.

But it is not only UNRWA that is under attack.

Across the occupied Palestinian territory, the United Nations and INGO staff are being phased out through the non-renewal of visas.

The campaign to dismantle UNRWA, and push out the broader humanitarian community, aims to strip Palestinians of their refugee status, and change, unilaterally, the long-established parameters for a political solution.

Excellencies,

I would like to conclude with three appeals.

First, I reiterate my call to Arab States to maintain their solidarity with UNRWA and provide the necessary financial and political support to the Agency.

Such solidarity is reflected in the Statement of Shared Commitments on UNRWA, an initiative spearheaded by Kuwait, Jordan and Slovenia, and signed by 123 Member States, including most Arab League States.

Second, I urge you to safeguard UNRWA’s role now and in the context of a political transition.

A ceasefire in Gaza is imperative.

The Agency has a critical role to play during the inevitably long and painful transition that will follow.

The Agency’s most striking advantage is in education and primary healthcare.

In the absence of a full-fledged state, only UNRWA can fulfill the learning and healthcare needs of Palestine Refugees.

Finally, the attempts to shut down and marginalize UNRWA must be rejected in the strongest political terms.

I appeal for your support in countering efforts to dismantle the Agency, to malign its reputation, and to end its operations in the occupied Palestinian territory.

These efforts are a threat not only to Palestine Refugees, but to the United Nations system, the multilateral order, and the prospects for a political solution.

Today, Palestinians face a more uncertain future than ever before.

We cannot fail in our collective endeavor to ensure a just and peaceful resolution of their plight.

Thank you.

Philippe Lazzarini

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