Behind The Scene With David Bedein

UNRWA Faces Funding Crisis, Announces Major Service Cuts

US Funds Withheld and Incitement Concerns Lead to Severe Reduction in UNRWA Services

The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) held a donors conference on June 2 at the UN headquarters in New York. The conference aimed to raise funds for the agency, which operates 59 temporary refugee camps for Arabs displaced after the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. With 67 nations and 33 nonprofit organizations providing health, education, and welfare services to the 6.7 million UNRWA refugee population, including descendants of the original 700,000 refugees, the event was crucial for securing support.

Despite seeking to raise $1.6 billion to cover the full UNRWA budget, Commissioner Phillipe Lazzarini announced that only 30% of the budget was raised, leading to a significant reduction in UNRWA services. The majority of the budget, 58%, is allocated to education. 

However, the ongoing US policy of freezing funds to UNRWA remains a significant obstacle. The US has withheld its funds until UNRWA demonstrates its commitment to the US-UNRWA Accord, which prohibits funding as long as incitement to violence persists in UNRWA schools.

Due to this policy, UNRWA cannot access the $211 million allocated by the US this year. Recent revelations, such as UNRWA conducting summer camps in honor of terrorists involved in acts of murder, further complicate the situation. The UNRWA commissioner is unlikely to witness the resumption of US cash flow to the agency under these circumstances. 

Additionally, the use of a fourth-grade textbook glorifying an Arab woman terrorist who led a lethal attack in 1978, resulting in the deaths of over 30 Jews, including 13 children, adds to the concerns surrounding UNRWA’s activities.