Christian Saunders (UNRWA), Ayman H. Safadi (Jordan), José Manuel Albares (Spain) and Mauro Luiz Iecker Vieira (Brazil) following the Annual Ministerial Meeting in support of UNRWA - Press Conference

All right. Good afternoon, everyone. As you know, there's been a ministerial meeting for support of UNRWA, the UN Relief and Works Agency, that's been going on just now. And we have four of the participants of that meeting here to speak to you. We're very honored to have with us Mr. Mauro Luiz de Azevedo, the Minister for Foreign Affairs of Brazil. And with him, you have Ayman Al-Safadi, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Expatriates of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. And next to him, you have Jose Manuel Alvarez, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation of Spain. And at the leftmost side here, there is Christian Saunders, the acting Commissioner General of UNRWA. And they will all speak to you now. I believe first, Who wishes to speak? Mr. Sifati, do you want to go first and then we'll go to the others?

Thank you so much for being here. I just want to say that I'm grateful for my colleagues, the Prime Minister of Spain and Brazil, for co-sponsoring and co-organizing this extremely important meeting in expression of support for UNRWA. I want to thank the Commissioner General for his efforts as well, and all the countries, over 50 countries, of whom 14 countries co-sponsored the event, that were there, again, in a clear manifestation of unwavering commitment to supporting UNRWA. Briefly, we continue to emphasize that UNRWA is indispensable, irreplaceable against the horrific humanitarian reality that continues to exist in Gaza, nobody, nobody can provide the help and support that UNRWA can to millions of Palestinian people who are starving, who are suffering in cold weather, who do not have access to proper medical facilities, who whose kids do not have a chance to go and receive any kind of formal education. The message that came out from everybody who spoke at the meeting is that UNRWA has to continue to operate. It has to continue to operate within its General Assembly mandate, which cannot be changed, cannot be altered. It is imperative that UNRWA continues to be supported financially and politically, and I'm grateful for countries that announced new donations today, including France, Germany, and Belgium. So, again, I think we, as organizers, co-sponsor, we're going to continue to rally support for UNRWA. We're going to continue to make the case for UNRWA. We're going to continue to emphasize that there is no justification for not acting together to prevent Israel from dismantling the only effective or the main agency that can support Palestinians at a time when Palestinians continue to suffer from the consequences of the aggression on Gaza. So UNRWA will continue to operate, will continue to have our full support, and cannot but also observe and thank the sacrifice of that UNRWA workers continue to make on the ground. And I think all of us should remember that 399 UNRWA workers lost their lives as they were trying to preserve Palestinian lives in Gaza. Thank you.

Thank you. I was very happy to co-organize and co-sponsor with Jordan, with Brazil, this ministerial meeting. with all UNRWA main partners and donors that has achieved the reaffirmation of our political and financial support for the agency that is more important than ever in a time in which UNRWA has increased threats against the organization and their workers. Spain maintains its unwavering support for UNRWA and its irreplaceable work in Palestine and the region in support of the dignity and the survival of the Palestinian refugee population. In Gaza, UNRWA plays a vital role due to its recognized capacity in providing essential services and goods that include healthcare and education to the Gazan population. No one else could be able to do it. And therefore, we support UNRWA's significant role in the post-conflict phase and in the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip. In the last three years, Spain has contributed with more than 85 million euros to UNRWA. Spain is the agency's fourth largest contributor, and this year, 26, we will maintain our support. We have already disbursed 18 million so far this year. And at the meeting that has just concluded, I announced the recent approval by the Council of Minister of an additional contribution of 3 million euros. We urge all UNRWA's partners and donors to continue their financial support of the agency so it can fulfill its mandate granted by the General Assembly here in New York and renew In last year by a very large majority, so Spain maintain its firm commitment also to adjust a lasting peace in the Middle East, and that means, uh, putting in place the two state solution, UNRWA. will play a fundamental role in the path towards that. So, in conclusion, I want to reaffirm Spain's strong commitment to international law, to multilateralism, our firm support, therefore, to UNRWA to preserve the dignity of Palestinian refugees, to promote regional stability, and to ensure the viability of the two-state solution that is the only solution that will bring peace, prosperity, and stability to everyone in the Middle East. Okay.

That's it.

Well, good afternoon. Just a brief statement. I'd like to say that the fact that Brazil, Jordan, and Spain are standing here together today is in itself a clear reflection of the importance our governments attach to UNRWA and its indispensable and irreplaceable role. We are heartened by the impressive level of representation and participation in the meeting we just held. The message is very clear. The international community stands with UNRWA. For nearly three years now, Israel has carried out an orchestrated campaign against UNRWA operations, facilities, and staff through illegal military attacks, unlawful legislation, disinformation, defamation, and legal harassment. The appalling demolition of UNRWA's headquarters in East Jerusalem In early January, the forced entry into the Qalandia training center and the seizure of UNRWA installations are a few scandalous examples of Israel's blatant disregard for international law. The list is much longer. More than 390 UNRWA staff members have been killed in service. At least 73,000 people are dead among whom 21,000 children. The final toll could be much higher, with many still buried under the rubble and debris. Under no circumstances could this ever be considered legal, proportional, or justified. On the contrary, they are grave international crimes. Defending UNRWA means safeguarding the very possibility of peace. Without it, the protests for recovery, justice, and two-state solutions are seriously undermined. We will not tolerate disinformation or hate speech being used to distract to distract us from the atrocities Israel continues to commit in Gaza and the West Bank. We will insist on humanitarian access that is unconditional, impartial, and unhindered. Civilians and civilian infrastructure must be protected. Hospitals and schools are not military targets. And UNRWA, like all UN agencies, must be able to carry out its lifesaving operations as mandated by the General Assembly resolutions. We leave this meeting with renewed determination. The protection of Palestinians, of refugees, and the credibility of international law itself depend on it. Thank you very much.

Mr. Sanges.

Thank you. Good afternoon, everybody. I don't have a statement, just simply to thank the governments of Jordan, the government of Spain, and the government of Brazil, and all those other countries, member states, that sponsored this important meeting, and also all the member states that support UNRWA, both politically and financially, to do what we were mandated to do more than 76 years ago. It's a very difficult time for Palestine refugees, particularly in the occupied Palestinian territories. But we remain on the ground. We remain on the ground doing what we were mandated to do 76 years ago. We are the largest UN agency. We are the only UN agency that does direct delivery. And what I mean by that is that we have our own personnel that that do learning, do healthcare, do water and sanitation, do engineering, infrastructure, and stuff like that. We will continue to support the Palestine refugees as long as the UN General Assembly wants us to. Thank you.

Thank you. I believe that the foreign ministers of Brazil, Georgia, and Spain do have other engagements shortly. I was going to be turning the floor over for questions, but if you have your other commitments, I think we can first take a-- Okay.

Can I at least thank you on behalf of the United Nations Correspondents Association for doing this briefing? We would love you to stay for five minutes even to answer a few questions.

Thank you very much. We'll have Mr. Saunders here for you. Thank you very much for your attendance. Thank you. Hold on, and we'll also have questions with Mr. Saunders right after. Thanks so much. All right. So now I'll open the floor up for questions.

And we have with you the acting commissioner general of UNRWA, Mr. Saunders. First question will go to Edith Lederer.

Thank you very much, Mr. Saunders. And as I said, we wished all your colleagues were here, but we'll have to take you instead. Can you tell us how much money UNRWA got today in pledges? We heard that Spain gave you another $3 million. How much you need, but most importantly, I think we'd all like to know how you're operating in Gaza and what obstacles Israel is placing in your path.

Thank you. Thank you for the question. My team has told me very specifically, do not talk numbers because we need to confirm them. But if I'm not mistaken, There was probably a commitment of about 30 million today. But that needs to be confirmed, which takes the deficit down to around 70 million. No, so it's euros, so it's probably a bit, it's probably closer to 60, the deficit now. Operating in the occupied territories. It's challenging. Our international staff, myself included, are not given visas to go to the occupied territories, so we manage via remote means. We're not new to this, because we had Covid to practise this, and we've done it during Covid. In Gaza, we have 10,500 national staff on the ground and in the West Bank about 4,500 national staff, virtually every profession you could imagine, and highly capable, highly hardworking, resilient staff that Even though, for example, in Gaza, in most instances, they're living under tents or tarpaulins like everybody else. And yet they get up every day and come to work to do their jobs, doctors, nurses, teachers, engineers, sanitation laborers, administrators. Yeah, I mean, and the Palestinian community, the Palestinian refugee community has always prided itself on its desire for education. We have some very educated staff. So no visas and Israel will not allow us to bring in supplies, which means that we have to work with partners. And we have partners. It's challenging. It's also challenging because some of the supplies or items that are considered dual use of really basic stuff like engine oil and some of the shelter materials. So it is challenging. And of course, winter is coming.

Thank you so much. My name is Abdul Hamid Sayam from the Arabic Daily, Al-Quds Al-Arabi. I have two questions. On the Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, I just visited some refugee camp, came back from Lebanon. I went to Ain al-Hilweh and I found it is almost like a detention center. People cannot go except with a permit. Situation is very bad. Everybody speaking against UNRWA cutting down the services. So the situation in Lebanon also is very explosive against UNRWA, so if you might address that. But also, On the Israeli attacks, there is an Arab proverb, probably you know it, it says, I kept cursing the thieves, yet they were able to take the camels. So we keep condemning Israel again and again. They attacked the headquarters in East Jerusalem, then Sheikh Jarrah, then the training center in Qalandia, then the refugee camps in the north. And yet Israel continue with its atrocities against the Palestinian people in general and against UNRWA. And nothing is stopping Israel. What else we can do to Tell Israel, stop here. You can't go further. Thank you.

Thank you. Maybe I answer the last question first. I'm a humanitarian. Our job is to get humanitarian assistance and to provide to Palestine refugees and to provide them with basic services. That's the role of UNRWA. It was created 76 years ago to relieve the suffering and the starvation of Palestine refugees. And we're still here doing exactly the same thing. The political side is really up to the member states. And it's the member states that need to have the determination and the will It's the member states who need to have the determination and the will to find solutions to those issues. And I think I can best serve the Palestine refugees by going about and doing our job, which is providing critical humanitarian and other basic services. UNRWA is a bit like a government, mini-government in many respects. Those are the kinds of services that we provide. On the first question, yes. UNRWA has been in financial problems since the mid-80s, and it has good years and it has not so good years. And over the last few years, it has been hemorrhaging for money. And that means that it's had to reduce some of the services that it used to provide to refugees. Although we still provide a lot of services, we still provide good quality service, and we still work with partners For example, like UNRWA used to distribute food to the refugees. Now we partner with WFP, and WFP does the food distribution on behalf of UNRWA to the refugee communities. But even WFP is suffering in terms of lack of money. and therefore has had to cut its services. I think since the beginning of last year, there was a significant drop in overseas development assistance from the US, but also from other countries as well. And we're all looking for money in a much smaller pot. And we've all had to look at how we can make economies. And and sometimes it means that we have to reduce our services in terms of the Palestinian refugees in camps in in Lebanon. Again, that's a political issue that needs to be addressed with the government of Lebanon. I mean, I think particularly in Lebanon, it is challenging for Palestinian refugees because they can only do certain types of work. So most of the Palestinian refugees live below the poverty line, and the situation is not easy.

Is this working? Yeah. Hello, good afternoon. Thank you very much for doing this. My name is Igor. I work for the South China Morning Post. My question is regarding funding, basically. Since the beginning of this UN broad budget problem, with the U.S. cutting funds for numerous U.N. agencies, China has been stepping up and funding some of these organizations like the World Health Organization and other bodies. But it seems that when it comes to UNRWA and this particular humanitarian crisis in the Middle East, it's almost like China is stepping back and trying not to get very involved in all of this. I just want to get your honest assessment on why China is doing this and if you have been talking to your Chinese counterparts to see if they can step up like funding for UNRWA as well and make the work, the so important work of your agency more effective for those who need in the Middle East right now.

Thank you. And hopefully the Chinese are listening to this. Yes, I don't know. Traditionally, China has not been a huge supporter from a monetary or funding perspective. But it hasn't really changed over the last few years. It's been consistent. It's been a consistent but small amount. Yes, we've asked them to provide more. I would hope that they could provide more. But China is a very strong supporter politically, and they are very vocal in their support for the Palestine refugees and for UNRWA. And I think that's also an important element.

What did they say when you asked them to give you more?

They said that they would consider, but... When was that? I think that the last time I spoke with them was probably three months ago.

Okay, thank you.

Thank you, Farhan. Thank you for doing this briefing. Mike Wagenheim with i24 News. Two questions for you. Number one, you tweeted a few days ago, you had a trip to Washington and met with some executive branch officials. I did. Given that the American administration has not shown much fondness for under the state police, can you provide some context for those meetings? And the second question I had is, Has there been any sort of communication, positive, negative, otherwise, between UNRWA and the Board of Peace Infrastructure, specifically the technocratic Palestinian Authority that will come in at some point? Have there been talks about what UNRWA's future lies with that particular governing authority?

Two parts to that question. The first part of the question, I met with various senators and congressmen and think tanks in Washington, D.C. to explain the direction I was taking the agency, to explain the reforms that I was embarking on, but also in terms of the think tanks to get their advice as well on what they thought we should be doing and what we could be doing better. So that was really, and it was also a confidence building trip as well. I think under the current circumstances, I wouldn't expect that the US will publicly support UNRWA in a big way. But if they were to give us the space to operate, that's what we need. It's the same with the government of Israel. If we were to be given the space to continue our operations, that's really what we need.

I'm trying to read in between the lines here. Have you asked for that space?

I have asked for that space.

And has there been any tacit response?

No. We've been at, Unur is 76 years old, we've been at this for a long time. We've been through many conflicts. We've been through many difficult situations. I think we're good at what we do. We find solutions. The same way that, for example, in East Jerusalem, our headquarters building was taken over, our school Schools were taken over. Our health centers were taken over. And most recently, our vocational training center was taken over. I see it that I find solutions. How can I find alternative ways to provide those people with the services that they need? And that's how I approach it.

Thank you, sir.

On the second thing, we have had some discussions with the border peace. In Gaza, we have 10,500 employees. basically a mini civil service. My argument is that we can help them to be successful in Gaza, because when the national committee go in, they are going to need to show results relatively quickly in order to maintain the confidence of the population. We can help them to do that. Because if you're going into Gaza and you're running a civil administration, you have to run schools. You have to run health centers. You have to run water and sanitation and all those kinds of things. And we have that expertise. We have the people on the ground. And we can help them to be successful.

You mentioned that the agencies rely on partners to deliver aid to Palestinians.

Could you give us if anything has changed since the past year?

I think the situation over the last year is certainly better now. But I think to put it into context, you have 2.1 million people living in what was 30% of the land to the west of the yellow line. At least 90% are living in tents or under tarpaulins or in partially destroyed buildings. You have, because the infrastructure has been destroyed, you have 40,000 cubic meters of raw sewage draining into the Eastern Mediterranean every day. 3% of the land is arable and can be cultivated. Medicines are in short supply. Medical equipment is in short supply. Things, as I said, engine oil, everything needs engine oil. The generator, that powers the electricity in the hospital and the health centers needs engine oil. The garbage trucks need engine oil. The desalination plants need engine oil. The water pumps need engine oil. I mean, there are so many things that engine oil is a basic commodity that you need in order to survive. So I think the conditions are dire on the ground. About 30% of what's coming in is humanitarian aid. The rest is commercial. Winter is coming and people do not have adequate shelter. In terms of schooling, the schools opened on the 19th, which is a few days ago. We have about 100,000 children in temporary learning spaces in Gaza on the ground, and we do a full curriculum, so we do an accredited full curriculum. You have UNICEF and NGOs also providing educational services mainly to the non-refugee population. But if you consider there's probably over 500,000 children that need to be back in school, We have a long way to go. We have about 300,000 who are signed up for online education, but I'm not going to pretend that online education is a panacea. They need to be back in the classrooms, but for that, you need to have classrooms. Many of the schools that survived are being used as shelters for displaced people, so we have to get the people out of the shelters in order to turn them back into schools. And in order to get the people out of the shelters, you have to clear away rubble so that you can then put up tents, move the people out, and it takes time. But we're working on it. We're working on it with our partners. And yeah, it's not easy.

Hi, Maysa Mustafa with Drop Site News. Can you paint a picture of the refugee crisis, the internal refugee crisis in the West Bank, what's been happening since 2025? And can you say some of the obstacles that may come about if Israel continues to escalate its operations on the rest of the refugee camps in the West Bank?

Yeah, it's a challenge. Daily settler violence, increasing settler violence, Israel has closed the three camps in the north, Tulkarm, Jenin, and Nusha'bs. About 33,000 people were displaced. They're now living in other parts of the West Bank with family, friends, or rental. We're helping with the rental subsidies. There were 4,500 children who lost their schools. So we had to find alternative schools for them. We have done that now. We're running second shift in both our schools and in PA schools. And so all the kids are back in school. We put on mobile health centers and also opened some new health centers. So in terms of health, we're probably okay. The only thing I would say is because the PA is having really serious financial problems, we're seeing an uptick in the number of patients that we see in our health centers. Again, not easy. I think if it gets worse, we we're probably going to have, again, we're going to have to put up tents and stuff like that and find solutions if the other camps are closed, in which to ensure that people can be accommodated and kids can stay in school and people can get health care. But, I mean, obviously we have contingency plans in place for this, and I have no doubt that the international community will rally around. But Yeah, it's not a good situation at the moment. I hope it doesn't get worse.

All right. I see no other questions in the room. So with that, I'd like once more to thank. Oh, wait. Oh, all right. Here, one more.

Thank you so much. How do you see the role of, Jonathan Geyer with The Economist and IGA, thank you, sir. How do you see the role of the Board of Peace as a counterweight or a competitor or a distraction from these ongoing efforts. And maybe you can say a word about the Gaza Humanitarian Fund, which has sort of disappeared into the horizon, but I think many people are curious about accountability for that and if there's any way to do that.

I find it a little strange because that's sort of the third or fourth time that I've heard somebody refer to the Board of Peace as being a competitor to UNRWA. I don't see that at all. You have President Trump's 20-point plan, you have Security Council Resolution 2803, you have the Board of Peace, and you have the NCAG. That is the game in town at the moment. We all have to get behind that, and that also means UNRWA. So I want them, we want them to be successful, we want the Board of Peace and the NCAG to be successful, so we will put our people, our resources at their disposal to help them be successful. We're already helping them in terms of helping them with their planning. Yeah, so I don't see it as a competition.

I don't think any serious official or analyst would see it as a competition, but the Trump administration certainly seems to be advocating it for it to fill a role that UNRWA has historically been very successful at.

Yeah, I mean, there is the political dimension to this where Israel sees, associates UNRWA with prolonging the refugee issue, with the right of return, in spite of the fact that the right of the return and UNRWA were established by completely separate GA resolutions. Yeah, and the US is sometimes echoing that same language. As I said, I don't see it as a competition. We will do whatever we can to make sure they're successful, because we have the same goal in mind, which is peace and relieving the distress of the people in Gaza.

Thank you all. And with that, I'd like to thank Christian Saunders, the Commissioner General ad interim of UNRWA, and of course, our previous guests, the foreign ministers of Brazil, Jordan, and Spain. Thank you very much. Thank you. Good afternoon.