Secretary-General's Remarks at Wihdat Palestine Refugee Camp

OPENING REMARKS:

Secretary-General: I am extremely pleased to be here at the Wihdat Camp for Palestine refugees.  

We are at a centre dedicated to the wellbeing of Palestine refugees.  So allow me to begin with an invitation to join me in a moment of silence in tribute to our United Nations colleagues and all others who have been killed in this conflict.

I am on a Ramadan solidarity visit to Jordan to meet Palestine refugees being served by UNRWA.  

UNRWA is a hot topic these days – but one fundamental thing is often being lost in the debate:  people. 

The real people UNRWA serves -- and the real difference that UNRWA is making in their lives.  

Jordan is home to 2.4 million Palestine refugees, the largest number in the region.

And today I heard some of their stories and saw a glimpse of UNRWA’s exceptional work.

I had the privilege to visit a health centre – where young mothers and their children are receiving high-quality primary health care, where labs perform state of the art medical tests, where a pharmacy is dispensing life-saving medication to patients at no charge.  

I sat in on science and English language classes at a girls school.  

I saw young women in a science lab learning and experimenting principles from Archimedes.  

I visited a class teaching English along with the values of human rights and conflict resolution.   

I also met with 6 truly inspiring young student parliamentarian leaders, including 3 students from Gaza.  

It was a heart-warming visit in heart-breaking times.

Here in Jordan, but also in Syria, in Lebanon – and, of course, in the occupied West Bank and Gaza -- UNRWA is a lifeline of hope and dignity. 

Providing education for over half a million girls and boys;

Health care for around 2 million people; 

Extending job opportunities and community and family support. 

And ensuring a social safety net for nearly half a million of the poorest Palestinians. 

Beyond and behind those facts, UNRWA is profoundly contributing in ways that can’t be measured on a graph -- advancing social cohesion, promoting stability and building peace.  

Imagine if all of this was taken away.

It would be cruel and incomprehensible – especially as we honour the 171 women and men of UNRWA who have been killed in Gaza – the largest number of deaths of UN staff in our history.  

As our work continues in the face of big obstacles, I am determined to ensure that UNRWA abides by the values of the United Nations in all its actions.  

And so taking into account recent unacceptable events, an independent review is well underway to strengthen and improve UNRWA, and I look forward to its recommendations.  

We must strive to keep the one-of-a-kind services that UNRWA provides flowing because that keeps hope flowing. 

In a darkening world, UNRWA is the one ray of light for millions of people.

I see that hope here. 

Now more than ever, we must not take away that hope. I trust that working all together, we will be able to mobilize the international community to make sure that UNRWA will be able to provide their essential services to Palestine refugees here in Jordan and in all other areas where UNRWA is active.

Thank you.

[END]

QUESTION AND ANSWERS:

Question [from Arabic]: With the US Congress decision regarding aid to UNRWA, are we going to see children deprived of education. The second question is regarding the allegations against UNRWA, did on the United Nations obtain the conclusions for these reviews?

Secretary-General: I deeply regret the decision that was taken to stop funding UNRWA and I strongly hope that that measure will be revoked, especially when the reports that we are now preparing by independent entities on investigation and review of UNRWA will be published.

Indeed, UNRWA works in extremely difficult circumstances in Gaza. I am Portuguese, I lived in a dictatorship. And at that time, the secret police infiltrated all opposition parties, including my own. And it is obvious that there are risks when we operate in such difficult circumstances as Gaza, and having infiltrations. And we are totally committed to strengthen UNRWA to guarantee that UNRWA is a UN agency abiding by UN values and by nothing else; and that is the reason why we have an investigation and then review and I am convinced that the results and investigations - results of the review - and the actions will be taken to make UNRWA stronger, more effective and totally in line with UN values. I hope that this will guarantee that the funding of UNRWA will be maintained and that the work of UNRWA will be maintained.

Question [from Arabic]: What are the guarantees that are available to the United Nations to prevent Israel from making things worse? You mentioned that the situation in Rafah is an ongoing nightmare, what can be done to put an end to this nightmare?

Secretary-General: First of all, we have been very strongly - long long time ago - claiming the need for a humanitarian ceasefire to silence the guns as the only way to address the problems of the population in Gaza and the only way to have humanitarian aid effectively received in the quantities and the nature that is absolutely fundamental to preserve the life of the people in Gaza.

So, we have been insisting on the need of this ceasefire. In the beginning, our voice was relatively alone, but now we are seeing more and more the international community recognizing the same. Recently, the European Union - for the first time – was claiming the needs of a pause leading to a sustainable ceasefire.

And we have today in the Security Council a resolution in which a ceasefire is required, together, but not in a linkage with the release – unconditional release - of all hostages. And we also always claimed for the need for that release. So, I see a growing consensus emerging international community to tell the Israelis that the ceasefire is needed. And they also see a growing consensus, I heard it in the US. I heard it from the European Union, not to mention of course the Muslim world; a growing consensus to tell clearly to the Israelis that any ground invasion of Rafah could mean a catastrophic humanitarian disaster. And I strongly hope that this consensus that is emerging in the whole of international community will make Israel reflect and avoid what would be a dramatic threshold.

Question: Do you see the crisis over UNRWA receding? 

Secretary-General: There is a very strong effort that we are making, in order to address the natural problems and difficulties that UNRWA had. UNRWA has been systematically underfunded, so we need to strengthen it in different aspects. And I think we are moving in the right direction with the investigation with the inspection with the measures that are already being taken by the Commissioner General. But on top of that, I see more and more countries recognizing the essential role of UNRWA and even several of the countries that have suspended the funding have already restarted that funding and others are telling us that they hope that the result of the investigation and the result of the review will lead to the establishment of the funding to UNRWA. It is with hope and with deep conviction that I see the future of the organization.

Question [from Arabic]: In light of the United Nations principles that were established to guide the United Nations and it's where we have seen the abolishment of these United Nations values due to the war? And how many children and women should be killed in order for the United Nations to intervene?

Secretary-General: There might be double standards in many places around the world. There is a place where there are no double standards: in the Secretariat of UN under the authority of the Secretary General.

For us, what matter are the principles; and the principles are UN Charter; the principles are international law; territorial integrity of countries; but also international humanitarian law; The right of self-determination of people, including the people of Palestine. In relation to those principles, we have maintained our clear positions in all circumstances.

We were very loud and clear when we denounced the Russian invasion of Ukraine. And we are very loud and clear when we denounce the violations of international humanitarian law that are taking place in Gaza as we denounced the attack of Hamas in October 7th. Our principles are the same and we have no double standards. Unfortunately, in the world, not everybody can say the same.

 END