UN warns UNRWA faces liquidity crisis as operational restrictions bite

A United Nations spokesperson warned that the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) is facing a liquidity crisis that threatens its ability to carry out its mandate for millions of Palestine refugees.

The spokesperson said the Secretary-General told member states at a voluntary contributions meeting that Israeli attacks have killed more than a thousand Palestinians since October, and that UNRWA has been compelled to reduce service delivery by roughly 20%, cut local staff salaries and leave about 15% of international posts vacant. “The Secretary General says he's deeply concerned about UNWA's liquidity crisis, which jeopardizes its ability to implement its own mandate,” the spokesperson said.

The briefing repeated the Secretary-General’s concern that UNRWA is being undermined through “disinformation, through smear campaigns, through legislative actions, through operational restrictions and diplomatic roadblocks,” and that these pressures combined with a cash shortfall imperil humanitarian services across the region. The spokesperson said UN colleagues expect the totals from a pledging conference to be available the following afternoon.

The briefing framed those operational constraints as obstructing the agency’s efforts to provide humanitarian support, and noted that UNRWA continues to have a formal mandate from the General Assembly even as its operational capacity is strained.

The spokesperson said full remarks by the Secretary-General and by the acting Commissioner-General Christian Saunders were circulated to delegations; the UN will provide updated figures on fresh pledges as they are tallied.

The briefing closed without new, unilateral decisions announced on UNRWA’s mandate or staffing; UN member states will consider pledged contributions and related steps in subsequent meetings.