United Nations (TDI): Pakistan has called on the international community to ensure that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) continues to operate freely and effectively, warning that efforts to undermine the agency could jeopardize the welfare of millions of Palestinian refugees.
Speaking before the UN General Assembly’s Fourth Committee, Ambassador Usman Jadoon, Pakistan’s deputy permanent representative to the UN, described the current pressures on UNRWA as the “gravest assault” the agency has faced in its more than seven decades of service. “By undermining UNRWA, attempts are being made to remove the last remaining structure that sustains Palestinian refugees,” he said.
The envoy highlighted the vital work of the agency across Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria, where it provides education, health care, emergency relief, and a sense of dignity to generations of Palestinians displaced from their homeland. “UNRWA remains a beacon of hope, enabling countless refugees to pursue their aspirations,” Ambassador Jadoon said, reaffirming Pakistan’s full support.
Opening the debate, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini stressed the agency’s central role in preserving stability and aiding reconstruction in Gaza and the wider region. He also noted that insufficient funding and a disinformation campaign had strained its operations.
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Ambassador Jadoon characterized recent Israeli measures against UNRWA, including legislation seeking to restrict its activities and revoke its immunities, as violations of international law and the UN Charter. “No member state has the authority to dissolve or dismantle a United Nations agency established by the General Assembly,” he stated.
He reiterated Pakistan’s unwavering solidarity with the Palestinian people and support for UNRWA’s humanitarian mandate. “The inalienable right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and statehood must be respected. Efforts to delegitimize, defund, or dismantle UNRWA must cease,” he said, underscoring the urgency of addressing the agency’s chronic funding gaps.
Highlighting UNRWA’s broader role in maintaining regional stability, Ambassador Jadoon also welcomed ongoing peace efforts led by international mediators, including the United States, Egypt, Qatar, and Turkiye, which have facilitated a ceasefire under a 20-point plan. “We hope these initiatives will lead to a lasting, just, and comprehensive peace and a credible, time-bound political process toward an independent and sovereign State of Palestine based on pre-1967 borders with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital,” he added.
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Ambassador Feda Abdelhady, Deputy Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine, echoed Pakistan’s stance, calling UNRWA “indispensable and irreplaceable” and urging all member states to maintain principled and steadfast support for the agency.
