Country: occupied Palestinian territory Source: UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East BERLIN, as deliveredOpeningIt is excellent to see you all again.A lot has happened since we met here a few months ago.We are meeting at a time of seismic challenges in the Middle East and around the world.Let me first give you an overview of the occupied Palestinian territory and the work of UNRWA.In Gaza, atrocities continue while global attention shifts elsewhere.A confined and captive population is bombarded, besieged and constantly displaced.More than 55,000 people are reported killed, most of them women and children.Two million people are being starved, among them 1 million children.We have said it several times and I say it once again: no place is safe in Gaza, and no one is spared.Hospitals, schools, shelters, homes, and places of refuge all have been hit.Doctors, journalists, and aid workers – among them nearly 320 UNRWA staff – have been killed.According to the latest UN data, last year was the deadliest year for children in any conflict in recent history.The newly created, so-called “aid mechanism” is an abomination that humiliates and degrades desperate people.It is a death-trap, costing more lives than it saves.Humanitarian principles must be reinstated.The humanitarian community, including UNRWA, has the expertise and must be allowed to do their jobs and provide assistance with respect and dignity.In the occupied West Bank, Palestinians have been displaced from camps in the north at levels not seen since 1967.Civilian infrastructure is systematically destroyed so Palestinians cannot return to their homes.The demography of refugee camps in the northern West Bank is being permanently altered.A tight siege has been imposed on the area, prohibiting movement and cutting off Palestinians from their livelihoods.Meanwhile, settler violence continues at alarming levels.Annexation of the West Bank is happening steadily in a gross violation of international law.UNRWAUNRWA has become an objective of this war, which aims to strip Palestinians of their refugee status.This January, Israeli legislation came into effect prohibiting UNRWA’s activities in what Israel considers its sovereign territory – including East Jerusalem – and prohibiting contact between Israeli authorities and the Agency.Consequently, international UNRWA staff have been effectively expelled from the occupied Palestinian territory.However, our activities continue.The courage and determination of our Palestinian staff – despite arrests, intimidation and harassment – means essential services are still delivered to Palestine Refugees, including primary healthcare and education.In the dystopian horror that is Gaza, UNRWA still provides more than 15,000 health consultations each day.Our teams continue to manage shelters, provide clean water, and remove waste.Our teams are a model of what humanitarian work is and should be.I must also highlight the disinformation campaign portraying UNRWA as a terrorist organisation, and our staff as terrorists or terrorist sympathizers.This campaign was further reinforced given the prolonged ban on independent, international media in Gaza.Over the past 20 months, the Government of Israel has continued to make claims against UNRWA and its neutrality.These allegations have put the lives of our staff at serious risk and harmed the reputation of the Agency.I must stress that UNRWA – like comparable United Nations entities – does not have police, military or intelligence capabilities.We rely on Member States when such capacities are needed.We have repeatedly asked the Government of Israel for evidence to support its claims that some UNRWA staff are involved in militant activity.Last month, I wrote to the Foreign Minister of Israel, requesting once again information and evidence to substantiate these allegations.In my letter, I also noted that the Government of Israel has not pursued any prosecutions within its criminal justice system, which would also require the presentation of credible evidence.We have not received a response.I reiterate here that allegations are not evidence.Repeating allegations in letters or on social media does not constitute due process.Financial situation and Strategic Assessment of the AgencyUNRWA’s financial situation is dire.Cash flow is managed now on a weekly basis instead of monthly let alone yearly.Without additional funding, I will soon have to take unprecedented decisions affecting our services to Palestine Refugees across the region.The loss of UNRWA’s stabilising effect on a region increasingly in turmoil will also be consequential.In response to the very real possibility of the Agency imploding in the face of extraordinary adversity, the United Nations Secretary-General has requested a strategic assessment of the impact and exercise of UNRWA’s mandate.The Strategic Assessment will propose how the rights of Palestine Refugees can be protected amid the immense political, financial and operational pressure the Agency is under.I believe that UNRWA is a tremendous asset if what we seek is a just and lasting solution to the question of Palestine and its people.A genuine, time-bound political process would allow the Agency to finally transition its government-like services to empowered and prepared public institutions serving Palestinians.In the absence of an orderly transition, the sudden loss or reduction of UNRWA’s services will only deepen suffering and despair across the occupied Palestinian territory.It might spark unrest in the neighbouring countries.This is something that the region cannot afford, especially now.Let me conclude with a couple of points and then take your questions:In the context of Gaza: I call again for a ceasefire, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, and a delivery of humanitarian supplies at volume under the leadership of the United Nations, including UNRWA. There is no other alternative to address the challenges of spreading hunger in the Gaza Strip.Give UNRWA the financial and political support it needs to stay afloat until – as part of a political process – the Agency can finally transition its government-like services to empowered and prepared public institutions serving the Palestinians.Thank youBackground Information: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.