Amnesty Int'l urges donors to reverse decision on halting UNRWA funds
4 Min Read
Secretary-General of Amnesty International Agnès Callamard warned that the "inhumane" decision would exacerbate the plight of two million refugees, noting that the organization serves as their sole lifeline.
-
Supporters hold banners during a protest demanding that staff who were fired in Gaza be returned to their jobs and that countries resume funding of the agency, in front of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) headquarters in Beirut, Lebanon, Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2024 (AP)
In a statement published on Tuesday, Amnesty International urged donor countries to reconsider their decision to halt funds for the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), which took effect after "Israel" fabricated allegations about staffers collaborating with the resistance.
Agnès Callamard, Secretary-General of Amnesty International, warned that the "inhumane" decision would exacerbate the plight of two million refugees, noting that the organization serves as their sole lifeline.
"It is deeply shocking – indeed inhumane – that several governments have taken decisions that will cause further suffering to two million Palestinians, who are already facing the risk of genocide and an engineered famine just days after the International Court of Justice ruling concluded that the survival of Palestinians in Gaza is at risk," Callamard said, adding that such actions have been taken over allegations on 12 employees out of the organization's staff of 30,000.
Callamard added that such allegations are serious and urged for a thorough investigation, "but the alleged actions of a few individuals must not be used as a pretext for cutting off life-saving assistance in what could amount to collective punishment," she stressed.
Read more: West cuts UNRWA funds amid Israeli propaganda of affiliation in Oct. 7
Several countries, including the UK, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Japan, Estonia, France, and Finland, have joined the US, Australia, and Canada in temporarily suspending funding to the UNRWA.
Norway, Spain, Ireland, and Belgium, on the other hand, have declared they will not suspend funding, recognizing UNRWA's crucial role in providing humanitarian aid, education, and shelter to Palestinian refugees in Gaza, the occupied Palestinian territories, and neighboring Arab countries.
"It is disgraceful that instead of heeding the ICJ’s ruling, and the court’s finding that the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip is at serious risk of deteriorating further, key states, including the United States, Canada, the UK, Germany, Australia, and France have cut off funding to the main provider of aid for civilians in Gaza," said Agnès Callamard.
"All states have a clear duty to ensure the ICJ measures are implemented, including those ordering Israel to take immediate and effective measures to ensure the provision of humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians in Gaza as a key step to preventing genocide and further irreparable harm."
Callamard pointed out the inconsistency of some governments continuing to supply arms to "Israel" despite evidence of war crimes, emphasizing the need for a ceasefire, humanitarian access, and a focus on halting arms transfers rather than suspending vital humanitarian funding.
"Rushing to freeze funds for humanitarian aid, based on allegations that are still being investigated, while refusing to even consider suspending support for the Israeli military is a stark example of double standards," said Callamard.
"Instead of suspending vital funding to those in need states should be working to halt arms transfers to Israel and Palestinian armed groups and pushing for an immediate and sustained ceasefire and full humanitarian access to help alleviate devastating suffering."
For years, the Israeli regime and extremist zionist groups have led a smear campaign to discredit UNRWA, an organization crucial in safeguarding the Palestinians' right to return to their ancestral lands.
Read more: UNRWA funding suspension shows donor nations complicit in war: Hamdan
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is set to meet on Tuesday with key donors who decided to suspend funding for the organization.
"The secretary-general is personally horrified by the accusations against employees of UNRWA," Guterres's spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Monday.
"But his message to donors -- especially those who have suspended their contributions -- is to at least guarantee the continuity of UNRWA's operations, as we have tens of thousands of dedicated staff working throughout the region."
Guterres already met with Washington's representative to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield on Monday, and "he will be hosting a meeting here in New York with the major donors for UNRWA (Tuesday) afternoon here," Dujarric said.
"The secretary-general has also been engaging with the UNRWA leadership and donors to UNRWA, as well as regional leaders, such as King Abdullah of Jordan, whom he spoke to a short while ago, and President (Abdel Fattah) al-Sisi of Egypt."
UNRWA stated that if its funding is not resumed, it will not be able to continue operations in Gaza and across the region beyond the end of February.
