UNRWA advisory committee blocked attempts to dismantle agency, says rights group

The Advisory Committee of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has successfully thwarted three attempts led by the US, Canada, Italy, Sweden and Denmark to dismantle the agency and re-distribute its services to other UN organisations, a rights group has claimed.

The Beirut-based Association 302 to Defend Refugees’ Rights pointed out on Tuesday that Israel has worked for decades to undermine and dismantle UNRWA. During the Advisory Committee meetings on Monday and Tuesday, it added, both UNICEF and the World Food Programme (WFP) rejected replacing UNRWA in the Gaza Strip.

The rights group added further that the committee has “successfully” blocked the UNRWA Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini’s request to hand over the agency’s authority to an “empowered Palestinian administration”. A senior official at the meeting expressed surprise at Lazzarini’s request, asking, “If the Palestinians reject this, why are you demanding it?”

The statement added that the Advisory Committee has also blocked efforts to establish an international governing body for UNRWA’s oversight, a body that would include Israel as a member.

Association 302 emphasised that the failure of the proposals aimed at dissolving UNRWA can be attributed to the unity of the countries hosting Palestinian refugees, Lebanon, Jordan, Syria and Palestine. Their cohesive stance highlighted the threats facing refugees, especially in light of declining UNRWA operations across political, legal, humanitarian and security dimensions, as well as the lack of support from Arab, Islamic and Western nations; these factors collectively hindered the passage of the three proposals.

Twenty-nine countries attended UNRWA Advisory Committee meetings on Monday and Tuesday in addition to four observer members (the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, the State of Palestine, the Arab League and the European Union).

The meetings discussed files related to neutrality, UNRWA’s immunity and the Israeli Knesset’s recent decision to ban the agency’s work in the occupied Palestinian territories.

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