UN chief urges nations to fund $100m UNRWA gap

New Delhi ( Vivek Ojha ) : UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has urged countries to cover a $100m gap in funding for the UN Palestinian refugee agency, UNRWA, saying the body is nearing a breaking point after deep cost-cutting and austerity measures.

They cannot keep going like this without urgent backing and financial support from member states,” Guterres told an ad hoc meeting of the General Assembly. He noted that the agency had taken decisive steps to implement reforms following Israel’s accusations, including that some UNRWA staff members were involved in the October 7, 2023, attacks on southern Israel.

“UNRWA is a stabilising force in an age of ⁠instability,” he said, rejecting what he called continued efforts to undermine the agency through “disinformation, smear campaigns, legislative actions, operational restrictions, diplomatic roadblocks and more”.

UNRWA operates in Gaza, the occupied West Bank, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria, providing aid, schooling, healthcare, social services and shelter to 2.6 million Palestinians.

Israel has repeatedly accused the agency of showing leniency towards or cooperating with Palestinian armed groups, though it has not presented publicly verifiable evidence to support those claims.UNRWA has strongly rejected the allegations.