UNRWA chief calls for urgent funding, reform as agency faces $100 million deficit

UNRWA head Christian Saunders on Tuesday called for urgent financial and political backing from UN member states, warning that the UN agency for Palestinian refugees cannot sustain its operations without new funding, Anadolu reports.

Speaking at the General Assembly Ad Hoc Committee’s announcement of voluntary contributions to UNRWA, Saunders said the agency remains indispensable to millions of Palestinian refugees but faces mounting political, operational and financial challenges.

“To safeguard our mandate to protect and assist Palestine Refugees, and to uphold our commitment to giving them the best possible chance at fulfilling and meaningful lives, the agency must evolve. The agency must reform,” Saunders said.

Established by the UN General Assembly in 1949, UNRWA continues to provide humanitarian assistance, education, healthcare and social services to Palestinian refugees across the Gaza Strip, the occupied West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.

Saunders said the agency remains the largest humanitarian organization operating in Gaza, where approximately 1.7 million people depend on its services.