Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Executive Committee member and Head of the Refugees Affairs Department Ahmad Abu Houli called for international positions supporting the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) to be translated into financial and political commitments that safeguard its mandate and ensure the continuation of its operations.
اضافة اعلان
Abu Houli said international assurances to protect UNRWA’s mandate and reject replacing the agency represent a clear political message in response to efforts aimed at undermining its role and eliminating the issue of Palestinian refugees.
His remarks followed his welcoming of the political positions expressed by countries participating in the ministerial-level pledging conference for major UNRWA donor countries, held in New York on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly. The meeting was co-chaired by Jordan, Spain and Brazil. United Nations
Abu Houli praised France and Germany for their support for UNRWA and their announcements of additional funding. France announced a contribution of €15 million, while Germany announced an additional €20 million, including €10 million for infrastructure rehabilitation and €10 million to support humanitarian operations in Lebanon, Jordan and Syria. UN Transcripts
He said the measures reflect a commitment to maintaining support for the agency and strengthening its ability to continue providing services to Palestinian refugees. He called on donor countries to follow these initiatives, increase their financial contributions and fulfill their pledges to help close UNRWA’s funding gap and ensure the continuity of its services and UN mandate.
Abu Houli also welcomed the positions of UN Secretary-General António Guterres and participating Arab and international countries, which stressed the need to enable UNRWA to continue implementing the mandate entrusted to it by the UN General Assembly, while protecting its personnel, premises and facilities and rejecting any transfer of its responsibilities to host countries or other entities. The UN secretary-general has separately called for sustained political and financial support for UNRWA, citing a $100 million cash shortfall for 2026.
United Nations
He said the conference’s positions reaffirm that UNRWA is not merely a humanitarian service provider, but also an expression of the international responsibility toward Palestinian refugees and their rights. He added that the continuation of its mandate is linked to the unresolved refugee issue until a just and comprehensive solution is reached in accordance with international legitimacy resolutions, particularly UN Security Council Resolution 194.
Abu Houli stressed that international calls to address the agency’s estimated $100 million funding gap must be translated into immediate practical measures, including fulfilling financial pledges and providing sustainable, multi-year funding to ensure the continuation of education, healthcare, relief and protection services for Palestinian refugees across UNRWA’s five fields of operation. UNRWA itself has confirmed a $100 million cash-flow deficit for 2026. United Nations
He warned that the ongoing financial crisis threatens not only the agency’s ability to deliver services but also directly affects the lives of millions of Palestinian refugees and could undermine the stability of refugee camps and host communities. He cautioned that reducing services or transferring the agency’s responsibilities to other entities would undermine its mandate and international responsibility toward the refugee issue.
Abu Houli welcomed international assurances regarding UNRWA’s role in the humanitarian response, recovery and reconstruction of the Gaza Strip. He stressed the need to enable the agency to fully perform its role during these stages and not exclude it from arrangements concerning the future of Gaza, citing its accumulated expertise, infrastructure, staff and the trust placed in it by refugees.
He called on the international community and the United Nations to take practical steps to ensure respect for the immunity of UNRWA premises and facilities, protect its personnel, halt attacks and restrictions on its operations, ensure unhindered humanitarian access and hold the occupying power accountable for violations of international law and UN resolutions.
Abu Houli said any administrative or financial reforms within UNRWA should aim to enhance its efficiency and the sustainability of its services, rather than becoming a means of reducing its mandate, undermining refugees’ rights or transferring its responsibilities to other entities.
He stressed that protecting UNRWA means protecting the rights of Palestinian refugees and their cause, and called on the international community to move from political statements to assuming its legal and financial responsibilities and ensuring that the agency can continue carrying out its mandate until a just and comprehensive solution to the Palestinian refugee issue is reached in accordance with international legitimacy resolutions.
Source: Wafa
