Thank you President, and I start by thanking Commissioner-General Lazzarini for his briefing and for the work of all your team.
It has been 75 years since UNRWA was mandated by the UN General Assembly to provide essential services to Palestinian refugees. Today, that mandate remains as important as ever. Palestinians in Gaza are facing a devastating humanitarian crisis and an imminent risk of famine, and the region needs stability.
Against this backdrop, I wish to make three points:
First, the UK recognises that UNRWA is critical to aid delivery in Gaza. We call on Israel to allow UNRWA and all agencies providing humanitarian relief unhindered access in Gaza, particularly to the north. UNRWA is the main provider of humanitarian relief within Gaza, and other UN and humanitarian actors depend on UNRWA's distribution network to get aid to those in need.
The UK remains committed to increasing humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza. We are calling on Israel to increase aid flows and to enable the UN's minimum operating requirements so that humanitarian agencies can operate safely. Our Foreign Secretary has made this clear in his discussions with Israeli Foreign Minister Katz.
Second, I want to recognise the essential role that UNRWA plays in providing health and education services and humanitarian relief across the region, including supporting some 4 million Palestinians in Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. This support is important for regional stability and is of particular importance at this critical time.
Finally, to reiterate that the UK is appalled by allegations that some UNRWA staff were involved in the 7 October attacks on Israel. We note the ongoing investigations of the UN Office for Internal Oversight Services into these allegations.
We also emphasise the importance of UNRWA continuing robust management reform, including stronger independent oversight and better detection systems.
And we look forward to seeing the findings and recommendations of former French foreign minister Colonna's independent review into UNRWA's neutrality, processes and systems. As our Prime Minister said this week, we will clarify the UK's position on funding once we've reviewed these.
President, I want to end by recalling our minute of silence at the beginning of this meeting and by recognising the 178 UNRWA staff tragically killed in Gaza, and pay tribute to them and offer condolences to their families.
Thank you.
