UNRWA on the verge of collapse, warns agency’s chief

NEW YORK: The UN Relief and Works Agency for the Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) is on the verge of collapse due to Israeli calls for its abolition and the sudden freeze in funding to the agency by donor countries, the UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini has warned. In a letter addressed to the President of the UN General Assembly, which provides the agency with its mandate, he said the agency's ability to fulfil that mandate "is now seriously threatened". "In just over four months in Gaza there have been more children, more journalists more medical personnel and more UN staff killed than anywhere in the world during a conflict", he said. He noted more than 150 UNRWA premises have been hit by bombardment, killing over 390 and injuring 1,300. "According to UN experts, famine in imminent", he reminded. Lazzarini said that the resulting suspension of aid by 16 donor countries totaling $450 million means that without new funding UNRWA operations across the Middle East will be severely compromised from Ma rch. "I fear we are on the edge of a monumental disaster with grave implications for regional peace, security, and human rights," he warned. Source: Palestine news & Information Agency – WAFA