Pakistan to boost UNRWA funding

Move aims at closing $100 million shortfall

UNITED NATIONS:

Amid UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appeal to countries to cover a $100 million gap in funding for the UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA, Pakistan responded positively, saying it will enhance its financial contribution to the agency this year.

"UNRWA's mandate must be preserved, strengthened and adequately resourced," Ambassador Usman Jadoon, deputy permanent representative of Pakistan to the UN, told an UNRWA Pledging Conference.

He called the Israeli legislation targeting UNRWA "illegal", and it must be rescinded.

"We condemn the raids and seizures of UNRWA premises and reject any measure designed to erode its mandate or operational integrity," the Pakistani envoy said.

The United Nations agency operates in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Jordan and Syria, providing aid, schooling, healthcare, social services and shelter to 2.6 million Palestinians.

The US was UNRWA's biggest donor, but cut funding in January 2024 after Israel accused about a dozen UNRWA staff of taking part in the October 7, 2023, Hamas operations that triggered the war in Gaza. Sweden also cut its 2025 funding. Other big donors paused funding for UNRWA while the charges were investigated, but most have resumed their contributions.

In his appeal, Guterres, the UN chief, warned that UNRWA was nearing a "breaking point" after deep cost-cutting and austerity measures, saying the agency's liquidity crisis jeopardized its ability to meet its mandate, which was renewed by the General Assembly six months ago with overwhelming member support.

"They cannot keep going like this without urgent backing and financial support from member states," Guterres said, noting that the agency had taken decisive steps to implement reforms and update its policy on outside and political activities following revelations of some of its staff's ties to Hamas.

"UNRWA is a stabilizing force in an age of instability," he says, rejecting what he calls continued efforts to undermine the agency through "disinformation, smear campaigns, legislative actions, operational restrictions, diplomatic roadblocks and more."

Such actions threatened the well-being of millions of Palestinians as well as UNRWA staff, Guterres says, noting that 390 UNRWA staff had been killed in Gaza since October 2023.

In his remarks, Ambassador Jadoon, the Pakistani envoy also highlighted the severe financial crisis UNRWA faces, with an estimated budget shortfall of approximately $220 million, threatening essential services for millions of vulnerable refugees.

"While the dedication and hard work of UNRWA colleagues are invaluable assets, predictable, sustainable, and increased funding is, therefore, an obligation," he said.

Ambassador Jadoon underscored that no other agency can replicate UNRWA's role, saying it must be allowed to execute its mission across the Occupied Palestinian Territory without hindrance, obstruction, or interference.

"The Israeli legislation targeting UNRWA is illegal and must be rescinded," he said.

The Pakistani envoy demanded accountability for 392 UNRWA personnel killed since start of the conflict while serving the besieged Palestinians.

"UNRWA cannot be decoupled from the core final-status issue of Palestine refugees," Ambassador Jadoon said, adding, "The answer is not to dismantle the Agency, but to end the Israeli occupation, enable refugee return in line with international law and relevant UN resolutions, and realize the two-State solution on the pre-1967 borders, with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as the capital of an independent, sovereign Palestine."

Pakistan, he added, will "positively" enhance its financial contribution to UNRWA this year. "We urge all member states to match or surpass their existing commitments."