AMMAN — Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Ayman Safadi warned on Thursday that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) is at risk of collapse, during a ministerial meeting co-chaired by Jordan, Spain, and Brazil on the sidelines of the high-level week of the 80th session of the UN General Assembly.

 

Safadi stressed that UNRWA is “suffocating financially” and cautioned that without the necessary funding by the end of this month, the agency will be unable to continue its operations. He also noted that UNRWA has long been the target of a political campaign ahead of 7 October, as it represents both the rights and hopes of Palestinian refugees, according to a Foreign Ministry statement.

 

“UNRWA embodies hope for Palestinian refugees. The hungry children and mothers in Gaza demonstrate the agency’s vital role,” Safadi said. “I do not need to defend UNRWA. The hungry children in Gaza defend it with determination. Mothers, witnessing their children vanish before their eyes, stand up for UNRWA. More than 600,000 students in Gaza, who have been out of school for two years, also defend the agency.”

 

He highlighted that thousands of Palestinian children have relied on UNRWA schools to build their lives in recent years, emphasising that the agency’s continued operation is both a humanitarian and political necessity.

 

Safadi also underscored that it is unacceptable for any UN member to violate international law and carry out massacres against children and women in Gaza, in an apparent reference to the Israeli occupation.

 

The minister also stressed that no other entity can perform the work of UNRWA, highlighting the agency’s sacrifices, with hundreds of staff killed while continuing to provide essential humanitarian assistance.

 

Also on Thursday, Safadi held extensive trilateral talks with Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Fuad Hussein and Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdel Aty to explore ways of enhancing cooperation between the three countries.

 

Safadi also met separately with Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Asaad Al Shaibani.