NEW YORK, Friday, March 1, 2024 (WAFA) – The Bureau of the UN General Assembly’s Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People reaffirmed last night its unwavering support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and its indispensable mission.

It said the announcement comes in accordance with its General Assembly mandate to ensure the well-being, protection and development of the Palestine refugees pending a just solution to their plight on the basis of resolution 194 (III) of 1948.

The Bureau expressed its grave concerns about the catastrophic conditions in Gaza and the hindrances to UNRWA’s mandate implementation, recognizing UNRWA’s role as a lifeline for Palestine refugees for the past 75 years, offering not just essential services but a sense of hope and stability amidst protracted crisis and injustice.

The Bureau strongly appealed to donors who have suspended funding to UNRWA to reverse such decisions, which severely jeopardize the Agency’s humanitarian and stabilizing efforts across the region, particularly in the war-torn Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.

"The demonization of the Agency must stop," said the Bureau in a press statement. "The Agency’s role extends beyond humanitarian efforts - it symbolizes the international community’s commitment to justice, human rights, peace and refugee rights."

"Supporting UNRWA means standing with the Palestinian people until the achievement of a just and lasting solution to the question of Palestine in accordance with UN resolutions and international law," the statement affirmed.

The Bureau reiterated its urgent appeal for an immediate and lasting ceasefire in Gaza, an end to the forced displacement of Palestinians, and unobstructed access to humanitarian assistance.

M.N