Turkish envoy praises UNRWA efforts for Palestinian refugees

Türkiye's deputy permanent representative to the United Nations, Asli Guven, has expressed strong support for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, or UNRWA.

Underlining UNRWA's more than 75 years of assistance and protection to Palestinian refugees, Guven said on Monday at the General Assembly, "This assistance is essential and indispensable. It entails the possibility of a life in dignity. It saves lives."

"We commend the heroic efforts by the UNRWA personnel who are making the ultimate sacrifice in their honorable mission,” she added.

Underlining Israel's attacks targeting more than 150 UNRWA premises and killing at least 160 of its personnel since the start of the Israel-Hamas war on October 7, Guven said, "That was followed by allegations of wrongdoing towards several individuals among the 30,000 employees of UNRWA. The UN Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) and an independent review group immediately seized on the matter."

"Yet to this day, credible evidence has yet to be presented to substantiate these allegations," Guven said, adding the suspension of funding to UNRWA by some donors "can hardly be justified and remains a matter of deep concern."

Israeli authorities accused some UNRWA employees in Gaza of taking part in the October 7 cross-border attack by Hamas on Israel.

Several countries have suspended funding for the UN agency, which was established in 1949 to help Palestinian refugees across the Middle East. The agency said it terminated contracts with the employees following the allegations.

"As the platform representing the wider membership and the consciousness of the international community, the General Assembly cannot abandon UNRWA, nor can it leave the Palestine refugees to their own devices.

"Türkiye, as the chair of the working group on the financing of UNRWA, will continue to support the invaluable work of the agency. We call on all parties to support UNRWA," Guven added.

She also thanked UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini for his efforts to realise its mandate under extremely dire circumstances.

How UNRWA works

Today, UNRWA is the primary humanitarian agency in Gaza for more than two million people depending on its services.

Overall, UNRWA provides various services, including vital education, health care, relief and social services, camp infrastructure and improvement, microfinance and emergency assistance.

The agency runs over 180 schools for over 290,000 students and health centres in Gaza, providing critical services, with many struck by Israeli air strikes.

Amid the dire conditions in Gaza, Commissioner-General Philip Lazzarini previously said, "Many are hungry as the clock is ticking towards a looming famine."

The agency runs shelters for over one million people and provides food and primary healthcare services.

Lazzarini has urged the nations suspending their funding to "reconsider" before he says the organisation is "forced to suspend its humanitarian response."

"The lives of people in Gaza depend on this support, and so does regional stability," said Lazzarini.