UNGA79: INFORMAL MEETING OF THE PLENARY TO HEAR A BRIEFING ON THE UNITED NATIONS RELIEF AND WORKS AGENCY FOR PALESTINE REFUGEES IN THE NEAR EAST (UNRWA)
REMARKS BY PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE TO THE UN, H. E AMBASSADOR JAMES LARSEN, STATEMENT ON BEHALF OF CANADA, NEW ZEALAND AND AUSTRALIA
6 November 2024
Thank you chair,
I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of Canada, New Zealand and of course my own country, Australia.
CANZ countries thank Commissioner-General Lazzarini for his briefing, which outlined the significant challenges that UNRWA faces.
UNRWA is the only organisation with the capacity to deliver aid on the scale needed to address the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza.
It’s playing a central role in the UN-led mass polio vaccination campaign.
As the Colonna Review said, UNRWA is “irreplaceable and indispensable”.
We have made clear our opposition to the Israeli Knesset laws that would severely restrict UNRWA’s work.
And we urged Israel’s Knesset not to proceed with this legislation.
We associate ourselves with the UN Security Council’s statement in this regard.
President,
The legislation appears to involve unprecedented and debilitating measures that could significantly impede, or even prevent, UNRWA’s vital operations.
If fully implemented, the laws would significantly worsen an already dire humanitarian situation in Gaza.
They will impact the Agency’s vital work in the West Bank and potentially in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.
We again call on Israel to comply with its international legal obligations, including the binding orders of the International Court of Justice, to enable the provision of basic services and humanitarian assistance at scale in Gaza.
President,
We continue to press Israel to recognise UNRWA’s mandate and facilitate its lifesaving work.
Every effort must be made to ensure that UNRWA is able to fulfil its mandate of providing essential services to Palestinian refugees.
We also call on UNRWA to continue its path of reform as a priority, to demonstrate its commitment to the principle of neutrality, and to ensure that its activities remain entirely in line with its mandate.
CANZ will continue to work with our partners and with UNRWA to maintain an ongoing focus on integrity and neutrality.
It’s precisely because its work is vital that UNRWA must give ongoing assurance that its integrity and neutrality are beyond reproach.
CANZ countries are strong supporters of the multilateral system.
UN agencies must be able to undertake and deliver the critical work the UN member states have mandated them to do.
Thank you.