UNRWA warns of breaking point as funding crisis threatens mandate to help Palestine refugees
NEW YORK CITY: The operations of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees are at breaking point, its chief warned the UN General Assembly on Tuesday.
Christian Saunders, UNRWA’s acting commissioner-general, appealed for emergency funding to prevent the underfunded agency from collapsing under the weight of war in Gaza, settler violence in the West Bank, and a $100 million cash shortfall.
“UNRWA’s financial situation is untenable and the viability of our operations across the region is at stake,” he told a pledging conference convened by the president of the UN General Assembly.
Austerity measures valued at $175 million in 2025 had so far staved off mass layoffs, Saunders said, but the agency was forced in January to cut service-delivery hours by 20 percent, slash the salaries of many Palestinian members of staff, and keep 15.5 percent of international posts vacant.
