UN Secretary-General António Guterres has warned that the UN agency for Palestinian refugees is facing severe financial difficulties and operational restrictions that threaten its ability to continue providing essential services across the occupied Palestinian territory and the wider region.
Addressing the UN General Assembly’s Ad Hoc Committee on Voluntary Contributions to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) on Tuesday, Guterres said the agency faces a funding shortfall of $100 million despite implementing extensive cost-cutting measures.
“Despite painful austerity measures and cost-cutting, a shortfall of US$100 million is preventing the agency from fulfilling its current obligations,” Guterres said.
He noted that UNRWA’s mandate, recently renewed by the General Assembly for another six months with broad support from member states, enables the agency to provide essential services to approximately 2.6 million people in need.
Guterres warned that the agency’s financial difficulties extend beyond humanitarian concerns, saying they also pose a risk to regional stability.
