In meeting with UNRWA Commissioner-General, UAE foreign minister reiterated the country’s unwavering support for the agency, highlighting that sustaining its humanitarian efforts has become an urgent priority…reports Asian Lite News
UAE Foreign Minister H.H. Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan affirmed that supporting the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) is essential to consolidating security and stability in the region.
He made this statement during his meeting yesterday in Abu Dhabi with Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of UNRWA, during which they discussed the latest developments in the Middle East and their humanitarian fallout.
The meeting touched on ways to meet the humanitarian needs of the Palestinian people, especially in the Gaza Strip, and the efforts to deliver relief and medical aid to civilians.
During the meeting, the UAE top diplomat reiterated the UAE’s unwavering support for UNRWA, highlighting that in light of the current challenges, sustaining its humanitarian efforts has become an urgent priority, requiring concerted efforts from the international community to support the agency and all UN efforts made to provide relief to the Palestinian people.
He also expressed his appreciation for the UN and UNRWA’s immediate action to investigate the allegations made against a number of individuals, stressing that this step reflects the agency’s firm commitment to UN values and its noble humanitarian goals.
Sheikh Abdullah reiterated the call on donor countries that have suspended their funding to UNRWA to reconsider their decision.
He affirmed that UNRWA plays a vital role in relieving the suffering of the Palestinian people, especially those in the Gaza Strip, adding that the UAE is keen to stand by it and support its humanitarian efforts.
The UAE foreign minister also stressed that ending extremism, tensions and violence in the region and reaching a lasting ceasefire is the path to ensuring the protection of all civilians, preventing further loss of life and providing the necessary humanitarian support to the Palestinian people.
The meeting was attended by Reem bint Ebrahim Al Hashemy, Minister of State for International Cooperation, and Ambassador Lana Zaki Nusseibeh, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Political Affairs and UAE’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations.
Last week, Sheikh Abdullah had met with Sigrid Kaag, the United Nations Senior Humanitarian and Reconstruction Coordinator for Gaza, and discussed enhancing relief and medical aid delivery to the Palestinian people in a safe and sustainable manner.
Meanwhile, Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani has said that there would be “disastrous repercussions” in the stability of the region if funding for United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) is halted.
The Qatar Prime Minister was speaking to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in New York, according to Hebrew media reports.
Media reports stated that the Qatar Prime Minister has stressed the “severe consequences” of discontinuing funding to the UNRWA and emphasized that halting financial support to the agency could lead to “disastrous repercussions”.
He also showcased its pivotal role in ensuring regional stability and providing humanitarian relief.
The discussion, as per reports, brought to the forefront the critical situation in the Middle East, particularly in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank.
The Qatar Prime Minister highlighted the “indispensable” contribution of UNRWA in supporting millions of Palestinian refugees across Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon.
He further indicated that the stability of the region and the welfare of millions of people rely on the continuity of the agency’s operations.
Earlier, Israel said that UNRWA was “totally infiltrated” by Hamas and wants it to be replaced by another aid agency. Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had conveyed this to the Ambassadors of the UN during a meeting with them on Wednesday at Jerusalem.
Israel had conveyed to the UN and funding countries that 12 UNRWA staff members had directly participated in the October 7 attack when Hamas swarmed into Israel killing 1,200 people and holding 253 hostage.
Israel has in its report presented before the UN stated that of the 12 UNRWA staff who had directly participated in the attack, seven were UNRWA teachers, two were educational consultants and others were administrative staff of the Agency.