Türkiye warns UNRWA faces 'unprecedented political pressure'

Türkiye's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Ahmet Yildiz, warned on Tuesday that the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) faces unprecedented political attacks designed to undermine its humanitarian operations, citing chronic financial shortfalls and systematic campaigns against the agency's credibility. Speaking before the General Assembly's Ad Hoc Committee on voluntary contributions, Yildiz emphasized that UNRWA has served for over 75 years as an indispensable pillar of stability for millions of displaced Palestinians.

"For over 75 years, UNRWA has remained an indispensable pillar of stability, dignity, and hope, providing education, health care, food assistance, social services, emergency relief, shelter, and protection to nearly six million Palestinian refugees," he said, noting that the agency now faces existential threats to its mission. "Today, however, chronic financial shortfalls continue to undermine the agency's ability to provide essential services. Simultaneously, UNRWA has come under unprecedented political pressure, including systematic campaigns to undermine its credibility, question its legitimacy and constrain its operations," he added.

Violations of international law

The ambassador paid tribute to UNRWA staff working under "extraordinarily difficult" circumstances, particularly those killed while delivering aid across the Gaza Strip, the occupied West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. Yildiz condemned Israel's actions against the agency, stating that Türkiye denounces attacks on UNRWA personnel and premises alongside obstructions to its activities in Gaza and the occupied Palestinian territories. "These are blatant violations of international law," he said, adding that such measures seek to deprive Palestinian refugees of their right to return to their land.

Ankara's financial pledge

As chair of the Working Group on the Financing of UNRWA, Yildiz reaffirmed Türkiye's commitment to securing the agency's long-term sustainability amid ongoing challenges. "I am pleased to announce that we have already contributed $10 million to UNRWA for 2026," he said. Established by the UN General Assembly in 1949, UNRWA continues to provide education, health care and social services to Palestinian refugees across the region.