Palestine's UN envoy urges greater support for UNRWA

Palestine's UN envoy Riyad Mansour on Tuesday called on countries to increase financial support for the UN agency serving Palestinian refugees, saying the refugee crisis has worsened in recent years amid Israel's military campaign in the occupied Palestinian territory.

Speaking at the General Assembly Ad Hoc Committee's announcement of voluntary contributions to UNRWA, Mansour said the plight of Palestinian refugees remains one of the longest unresolved issues before the UN.

"Regrettably, the question of Palestine refugees remains the most prolonged refugee question globally and one of the longest standing items on the UN agenda," he said.

Mansour said that for nearly eight decades, Palestinian refugees have experienced repeated displacement, dispossession and the denial of their inalienable rights, including the right of return under international law.

"Over the past three years, this has intensified to shocking levels, particularly in occupied Palestine, amid the genocide and relentless Israeli aggression against our people," he added.

Mansour said that despite decades of conflict, UNRWA has played an "indispensable role" in providing education, healthcare, humanitarian assistance and other essential services to Palestinian refugees across the region.

Welcoming the financial pledges announced at the conference, the Palestinian envoy appealed to donor countries to increase their contributions as the agency confronts mounting financial pressures.

"We welcome the pledges of solidarity and funding made today," Mansour said. "I urge as many countries as possible—those who contribute, to contribute more, and those who have not yet, to do so, to enter the contribution process."

UNRWA was created by the UN General Assembly more than 70 years ago to assist Palestinians who were forcibly displaced from their land. The agency provides crucial support to millions of Palestinian refugees in the Gaza Strip, West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and other areas where large numbers of registered Palestinians live.