Safadi: The international community is required to protect UNRWA and support it financially and politically

Safadi emphasized the rejection of any change in the agency's tasks according to its UN mandate, and any attempt to transfer its responsibilities to the countries hosting Palestinian refugees.

He said the agency's role is essential in serving Palestinian refugees and cannot be dispensed with.

Safadi, who began the meeting by calling for a minute of silence for the 399 agency employees who lost their lives while trying to protect Gazans from death, said: "If the international community allows UNRWA to be dismantled, it will allow the suffering of two million Palestinians facing hunger, cold and deprivation in Gaza to continue."

Safadi said in the meeting, which was attended by about fifty countries, that the international community has allowed the destruction of Gaza and the exacerbation of the suffering of its people, and it must not allow the dismantling of the entity best able to help them and alleviate their suffering.

For his part, the Spanish Foreign Minister confirmed his country's steadfast support for UNRWA's work, which cannot be replaced or dispensed with in Palestine and the region, and its role in supporting the dignity and survival of Palestinian refugees.

The Brazilian Foreign Minister said that defending UNRWA means preserving the chances of achieving peace, and that without it, the prospects for recovery, justice and a two-state solution are undermined, stressing that there is no tolerance for using misinformation and hate speech to distract from the atrocities that Israel continues to commit in Gaza and the West Bank.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres said that since October 7, hundreds of UNRWA staff members have been killed and hundreds of its facilities have been destroyed in Gaza, and schools and health centers in the occupied East Jerusalem have been forcibly closed. He pointed out that these measures are absolutely unacceptable and contrary to Israel's obligations under international law.

He explained that the agency's mandate was renewed last December for three years, but its ability to operate is now seriously threatened, and the current situation is not sustainable, and the international community must move to provide steadfast political and financial support to protect UNRWA's mandate, protect Palestinian refugees and uphold their rights.

Acting UNRWA Commissioner Christian Saunders said that UNRWA faces major challenges in its work in Gaza and the West Bank, but it remains the only agency able to provide direct services to refugees in the occupied Palestinian territories. He said the agency is facing an exceptional financial crisis, with a cash flow deficit of $100 million for 2026, and without additional support it will not be able to continue providing essential services. He urged the international community to provide the financial support UNRWA needs to continue providing services.

The President of the 81st Session of the General Assembly Khalil Rahman said that UNRWA's role is vital and that reducing its services would expose millions of people who depend on it to greater risks, which is unacceptable.

He pointed out that UNRWA operates under very harsh conditions in Gaza and the West Bank, but continues to provide vital services. He called on countries to provide urgent financial support to the agency so that it can continue to provide essential services in education, health care and other services.

Jordan has organized and chaired 11 ministerial conferences to mobilize support for UNRWA since 2017.

Meanwhile, Safadi participated yesterday in the ministerial meeting of the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee for the Coordination of International Assistance to the Palestinian People (AHLC), where he stressed the importance of the committee's role in supporting the Palestinian economy and its institutions.