CAIRO, as prepared -
Foreign Minister Abdelatty,
Excellencies,
The Israeli legislation targeting UNRWA's operations in the occupied Palestinian territory is now being implemented.
The last time we met, we discussed the possible implications of this legislation for UNRWA's work in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Gaza.
The Agency now faces significant operational challenges.
UNRWA was compelled to evacuate its compound in Sheikh Jarrah, which remains a United Nations building, protected under international law.
International staff have been effectively expelled from the occupied West Bank.
The courage and commitment of our Palestinian staff have allowed UNRWA schools and health clinics to remain open, providing essential services to Palestine Refugees.
In East Jerusalem, attendance rates at our schools are averaging 80 percent and hundreds of people visit our health centers daily.
UNRWA's operations in Gaza are also continuing.
A core team of international staff is present, but Israel no longer facilitates their entry and exit via the Kerem Abu Salem crossing.
It is unclear to what extent our ability to operate will be further constrained by the prohibition on contact between UNRWA representatives and Israeli officials.
What is clear is that the Agency will stay and deliver its mandate until it is prevented from doing so.
We will do this despite the considerable risks to our staff in an increasingly hostile operational environment.
Excellencies,
The ceasefire is a welcome respite from the horrors of the war in Gaza.
We are heartened by the return of hostages and Palestinian detainees to their families.
We welcome the marked improvement in the flow of humanitarian aid.
UNRWA continues to play a critical role in addressing the immense needs of Gaza's shattered population.
Since the ceasefire began, we have distributed food to more than 1.5 million people.
We conduct some 17,000 medical consultations every day, and have expanded our health services, including to Gaza City and North Gaza.
In January, we launched an online learning platform, which has already registered more than 260,000 children - half of them girls.
Curtailing UNRWA's operations now - when needs are so high, and trust in the international community is so low - is counterproductive.
It has the potential to sabotage Gaza's recovery and plans for a political transition.
Excellencies,
The transition from a ceasefire to a "day after" will be long and painful.
UNRWA's capacity to provide public-like services to an entire population can only be substituted by a full-fledged state.
A clear choice lies before us:
We can allow UNRWA to implode due to the Knesset legislation and the suspension of funding by key donors.
The collapse of the Agency would create a vacuum in the occupied Palestinian territory and send shockwaves through neighbouring countries.
An environment in which children are deprived of education, and people lack access to basic services, is fertile ground for exploitation and extremism.
This is a threat to peace and stability in the region and beyond.
Alternatively, we can allow UNRWA to progressively conclude its mandate within the framework of a political process like that championed by the Global Alliance.
The Agency would gradually transition its public-like services to empowered and prepared Palestinian institutions.
This is the future for which we are preparing.
Today, you will hear from my colleagues how UNRWA's critical services, personnel and assets can be handed over in the context of a political process.
Developing the capacity of Palestinian personnel and institutions will be the cornerstone of our approach.
The transition of education services would span several years.
In addition to incrementally handing over schools and personnel, UNRWA would train teachers to use UNRWA materials on human rights, tolerance, and conflict resolution.
We would also provide access to self-learning materials for emergencies and our IT infrastructure to facilitate digital education.
UNRWA is the largest primary healthcare provider in Gaza, and the second largest in the West Bank.
Our network of health centres and highly trained workforce make UNRWA a vital partner in any transition.
The handover of our health services would focus on developing the capacity of Palestinian institutions, including managing non-communicable diseases, family medicine, and digital health systems.
Our efforts would be guided by national health priorities and the specific needs of the Palestinian population.
Our priority would be to ensure continuity of care for millions of patients across the occupied Palestinian territory.
Excellencies,
The success of our efforts depends entirely on the strength of the international community's commitment to a political pathway.
This commitment must be backed by funding to preserve the Agency's operations until the transfer of its services to Palestinian institutions is complete.
UNRWA is a formidable asset for ensuring a viable political transition that can provide a definitive answer to the question of Palestine.
Embedding the Agency in a political process will help to protect Palestine Refugees and maintain the long-established parameters for peace in the occupied Palestinian territory.
The window of opportunity to preserve UNRWA's operations is closing - your decisive intervention is urgently needed.
Thank you.
UNRWA is the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. The United Nations General Assembly established UNRWA in 1949 with a mandate to provide humanitarian assistance and protection to registered Palestine refugees in the Agency's area of operations pending a just and lasting solution to their plight.
UNRWA operates in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, The Gaza Strip, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.
Tens of thousands of Palestine refugees who lost their homes and livelihoods due to the 1948 conflict continue to be displaced and in need of support, nearly 75 years on.
UNRWA helps Palestine Refugees achieve their full potential in human development through quality services it provides in education, health care, relief and social services, protection, camp infrastructure and improvement, microfinance, and emergency assistance. UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions.
