Statement by UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini to the United Nations General Assembly – 17 March 2026

Excellency, Madam President of the General Assembly,

Over the last two years, I alerted the General Assembly that UNRWA's ability to implement its mandate was increasingly in jeopardy and that urgent action was needed from Member States. As I conclude my tenure as Commissioner-General, I must inform you that UNRWA may soon no longer be viable, with potentially far­ reaching consequences for Palestine Refugees at a time when the region faces seismic political and security challenges.

In December 2023, I wrote to the General Assembly that in 35 years of working in complex emergencies I had never had cause to report the killing of 130 personnel and to predict the killing of many more. I did not imagine then that the number of colleagues killed would triple, now reaching more than 390. Many others have sustained life-changing injuries or been arbitrarily detained and tortured.

Hundreds of UNRWA premises in Gaza have been damaged or destroyed, including post-ceasefire. The parliament of Israel has adopted legislation to end the Agency's presence in occupied East Jerusalem and to further obstruct its operations across the occupied Palestinian territory (OPT). Israeli authorities are pressuring UN entities to stop working with UNRWA, by threatening them with denial of access to Gaza.

In occupied East Jerusalem, armed police forcibly shuttered our schools and health facilities, while local authorities cut electricity and water to all premises. The UNRWA headquarters in Sheikh Jarrah was seized, looted and set on fire, with senior Israeli officials celebrating the destruction in widely published video footage. A deputy mayor of Jerusalem called for UNRWA personnel to be "annihilated".

These attacks are unprecedented in the 80-year history of the United Nations. They violate international law - as recognized in advisory opinions of the International Court of Justice - and erode the foundational pillars of the United Nations Charter.

Relentless disinformation campaigns include allegations of Agency-wide neutrality breaches and assertions that our operations have been replaced in Gaza, where the Agency remains a major provider of primary healthcare, education, clean water, sanitation and hygiene. These unsubstantiated and malicious claims seek to justify actions against UNRWA and to undermine Member States' support.

Her Excellency Ms Annalena Baerbock President of the General Assembly New York

Looking ahead, as underscored in the New York Declaration, there is no doubt that UNRWA's massive workforce and expertise are vital for the successful implementation of Security Council resolution 2803 and the Gaza peace plan, specifically with regard to supporting humanitarian aid, public services, local governance, stabilization, and socioeconomic recovery. Further, at a time of immense fragility for the region as a whole, UNRWA is, by many orders of magnitude, the largest, best-established, most cost-effective UN humanitarian and development presence in the region.

It is therefore incomprehensible to record here that, without immediate political and financial support from Member States to deliver UNRWA's mandate and to protect against efforts to dismantle its operations, the Agency is near the end of its viability. The risks of fuelling further regional instability and harming Palestinian rights are immense.

I urge Member States, which have repeatedly renewed the Agency's mandate for over seven decades, to restore UNRWA's temporary nature by leveraging its expertise and workforce as key assets for the successful implementation of Security Council resolution 2803 in Gaza and for a broader political process that addresses the longstanding question of Palestine.

If Member States do not provide the required support for UNRWA to sustain its operations, then the full operational and financial responsibility for delivering services to Palestine Refugees would fall on Israel under its legal responsibility as the Occupying Power in the OPT; while Lebanon, Jordan and Syria, as host countries, would immediately face an enormous burden.

In my final letter to the General Assembly, I must state my horror that a United Nations entity has been allowed to be crushed as UNRWA has, in violation of international law, with its staff and Palestinian communities paying an unacceptable price. I am appalled that the Agency has become a proxy battleground for outcomes to the Israel-Palestine conflict and that Palestine Refugees have been so callously betrayed. While those who ordered and carried out the shameful actions against UNRWA carry the greatest responsibility, the General Assembly must also consider its responsibility.

I urge Member States to take appropriate action, even belatedly, to secure the long-term security and human rights of Palestinians and Israelis through a just and lasting political solution.

It has been an immense privilege to serve Palestine Refugees and to lead UNRWA at this time of greatest need. I salute the outstanding contributions of UNRWA personnel to peace and humanity and am honoured to have served alongside such extraordinary women and men.

Please accept, Excellency, the assurance of my highest consideration.

Philippe Lazzarini

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