UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan has strongly urged the international community to protect the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) amid Israel’s campaign to dismantle the agency.
Speaking at the General Assembly’s Fourth Committee, which handles decolonization and special political issues, Ambassador Usman Jadoon, Pakistan’s deputy permanent representative to the UN, described Israel’s measures as an attempt to remove “the last remaining structure that sustains Palestinian refugees.”
Highlighting the “gravest assault” faced by UNRWA, Ambassador Jadoon said its mandate is under threat, staff are being vilified, and facilities are being targeted, endangering the agency’s ability to function.
He called UNRWA a “beacon of hope” and reaffirmed Pakistan’s full support for the agency, emphasizing its role in providing education, healthcare, and emergency relief to millions of Palestinian refugees across Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria.
UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini also addressed the committee, warning that chronic underfunding and a “virulent” disinformation campaign were jeopardizing the agency’s operations. He stressed that the agency is indispensable not only for Palestinian refugees but for the broader stability and reconstruction of Gaza and the region.
Ambassador Jadoon criticized recent Israeli legislation seeking to ban UNRWA operations, revoke its immunities, and designate it a “terrorist organization.” He described these measures as a “travesty of international law” and a violation of the UN Charter.
“No member state has the authority to dissolve or dismantle a United Nations agency established by the General Assembly,” he said, calling on the global community to reject such actions.
He reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people, including self-determination and statehood, and urged the international community to ensure UNRWA can continue its humanitarian work until a just political settlement is achieved. He also emphasized that the agency’s protection is critical not only for refugees but also for regional stability, warning that undermining UNRWA could destabilize the broader Middle East.
Ambassador Jadoon also praised peace efforts mediated by Egypt, Qatar, Türkiye, and the United States under the leadership of former US President Donald Trump, expressing hope that these initiatives would lead to a permanent cessation of hostilities and a credible, time-bound political process consistent with international legitimacy and UN resolutions.
Feda Abdelhady, Deputy Permanent Observer of the State of Palestine to the UN, echoed Pakistan’s position, calling UNRWA “indispensable and irreplaceable” and urging all member states to maintain principled support for the agency’s humanitarian role.
