UN chief António Guterres issued an appeal on Monday to “actively support” the UN agency for Palestinians, UNWRA, adding that he accepted the final findings of an independent probe into the organization, launched in response to unproven allegations that UNRWA staff had participated in the 7 October attacks against Israel.
The Final Report, led by former French foreign minister Catherine Colonna, was due to be released later on Monday; Ms. Colonna was also preparing to speak to journalists at a scheduled noon briefing in New York as Chair of the Independent Review Group on UNRWA.
“The Secretary-General accepts the recommendations contained in Ms. Colonna’s report,” Mr. Guterres’s Spokesperson said in a statement. “He has agreed with (UNRWA) Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini that UNRWA – with the Secretary-General’s support – will establish an action plan to implement the recommendations contained in the Final Report.”
The independent review group presented interim report findings and recommendations to the UN Secretary-General four weeks ago. These included evidence that UNRWA had “a significant number of mechanisms and procedures to ensure compliance with the humanitarian principle of neutrality”, although “critical areas…still need to be addressed,” Mr. Guterres’s office noted at the time.
The review panel – working with respected research organizations the Raoul Wallenberg Institute, the Chr. Michelsen Institute and the Danish Institute for Human Rights – announced that it would proceed with developing concrete and realistic recommendations to strengthen and improve the agency.
Gaza, West Bank violence unabated
The development came amid reports of further Israeli bombardment across Gaza at the weekend and concerning levels of violence in the West Bank.
In Rafah, the southernmost city in the Gaza Strip, the UN sexual and reproductive health agency, UNFPA, reported on Monday that a baby had been saved by emergency Caesarean section after its mother was critically injured in an airstrike and later died.
“Doctors in Gaza were able to save the life of the baby from the womb of the mother as she passed away from the head injury she’d sustained,” said Dominic Allen, UNFPA Representative for Palestine. The mother was 30 weeks pregnant when she died, along with her husband and the baby’s siblings, Mr. Allen noted.
Waiting for bombs to fall
In Geneva, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to health highlighted the huge toll on mental health that recent months and decades of violence have taken on the enclave’s besieged population and medical professionals.
“Imagine living under the constant anticipation of a bomb or a gun, or being shot while you’re trying to get food or water or play. That is in itself a form of violence,” said Dr Tlaleng Mofokeng. “To anticipate that your life could be extinguished in any moment and for children to grow up with that level of trauma is not normal. But for decades, that has been normalized for the people of Occupied Palestinian Territory.”
On a daily basis life continues to worsen for ordinary Gazans after nearly seven months of constant Israeli bombardment and a ground operation, launched in response to Hamas-led terror attacks in southern Israel that left some 1,200 dead and more than 250 taken hostage.
A child dies every 10 minutes in the enclave, UNRWA said at the weekend, in a fresh call to end the violence and allow desperately needed humanitarian aid into the enclave.
To date, Gazan health authorities report that more than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed and some 77,000 wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since 7 October.
Underscoring the looming health dangers from warmer spring conditions, UNRWA expressed renewed concerns over poor waste management and disease. In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Scott Anderson, Senior Deputy Director of UNRWA Affairs in Gaza, warned that substandard water and sanitation were far below what the population needed to stay healthy.
Elliot is an award-winning journalist passionate about international affairs and humanitarian causes. Elliot has covered stories from conflict zones and areas devastated by disasters, highlighting critical global issues.
It’s great to see the UN chief standing with the agency and backing the findings of the probe. It’s important to address any issues and ensure compliance with humanitarian principles. Kudos to the team for their hard work!
Does the report provide any insights into how UNRWA plans to address the critical areas that still need to be improved in terms of neutrality?
Yes, the report outlines that UNRWA, along with the UN Secretary-General’s support, is committed to establishing an action plan to address the critical areas that require improvement in terms of neutrality. The recommendations from the Final Report are set to guide UNRWA in enhancing mechanisms and procedures to ensure compliance with the humanitarian principle of neutrality. It’s a positive step towards strengthening accountability and integrity within the organization.
In my opinion, it is crucial for the UN chief to back the findings of the probe into the 7 October attacks in Israel. It is important to actively support the UN agency for Palestinians and ensure thorough implementation of the recommendations outlined in the report.
Do you think the action plan proposed by UNRWA will effectively address the critical areas mentioned in the report? What steps are they planning to take to ensure compliance with the principle of neutrality?
In my opinion, the UN chief’s decision to stand firm with the UNRWA report and back the findings on the Israel attacks is a crucial step towards ensuring accountability and transparency within the organization. This demonstrates a commitment to upholding humanitarian principles and addressing any shortcomings that may exist. I commend the efforts of all involved in this independent probe and look forward to seeing the implementation of the recommendations outlined in the final report.
Are there any details about the specific recommendations mentioned in the report? I’d like to know more about the action plan to implement them.