The United Nations Reduction and Works Company, which has been working faculties and primary well being care companies in Gaza for many years, has thus far survived requires its abolition, however its long-term future stays removed from sure with out the complete assist of the USA.
The editorial board met this week with Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA’s commissioner basic, and he was blunt in regards to the company’s challenges, which embrace the dire humanitarian scenario in Gaza and a funding shortfall that emerged after Israel accused a dozen of UNRWA’s 30,000 staff of being concerned in Hamas’s Oct. 7 assaults.
An impartial overview commissioned by the United Nations, launched on Monday, made a number of suggestions about reforms to the company. It additionally discovered that Israel has not offered proof to assist its accusations of huge hyperlinks between UNRWA and terrorist teams. (The report didn’t deal with the dozen accused UNRWA staff; 10 had been fired after the accusations had been made, and two had died.)
The US and several other different international locations suspended their funding from UNRWA, and, whereas different international locations, together with Germany, the second-largest donor, have since restored their contributions, the U.S. is not going to resume its funding till March 2025 on the earliest. The State Division has stated it’s nonetheless reviewing the report.
Lazzarini stated non-public donors have made up a lot of that shortfall, permitting UNRWA to proceed its work, however the funding hole stays a big fear relative to the necessity.
He has managed to safe the company’s finances by way of June, he stated, however the second half of the yr is unsure. “I do know that we received’t have the ability to rely on the U.S. contribution,” he stated. “So clearly it brings the company nearer to the sting of monetary collapse.”
There are different U.N. companies and worldwide assist organizations, together with the World Meals Program and UNHCR, that would deal with humanitarian wants in Gaza. However UNRWA serves one other perform: It supplies “state-like” companies, paying the salaries for academics, well being employees and different civil servants. At hand over these public companies, “we would want a functioning administration,” Lazzarini stated, and it’s unclear who might assume that duty.
UNRWA, he stated, is open to working with a revitalized Palestinian Authority, a risk the USA has supported. However till the Palestinian Authority or one other governing physique takes form, UNRWA performs a obligatory function. With out it, the scenario in Gaza after the battle ends may very well be dangerously unstable. Six months into this battle, “the day after” might appear to be a distant prospect, however within the meantime, it’s in nobody’s curiosity to hobble one of many few remaining stabilizing forces in Gaza.
April 28, 2024
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An earlier model of this submit misstated the identify of UNRWA. It’s the United Nations Reduction and Works Company, not the United Nations Refugee and Welfare Company.
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