Catherine Colonna, the former French Foreign Minister, has asserted that the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) plays an indispensable and irreplaceable role in the region.
This came as she spoke at the UN about the independent investigation she led into UNRWA.
She said that the UN agency had a “significant number of mechanisms and procedures to ensure compliance with the humanitarian principle of neutrality” and UNRWA had a “more developed system than other UN organisations or agencies”.
In late January, Israel accused 12 UNRWA workers from Gaza of involvement in the October 7 attacks on southern Israel, prompting key donors to halt funding to the agency.
Colonna’s investigation is not intended to look directly at the claims. Nonetheless, she stated in her report that Israel never gave them any evidence to back up those claims.
The Colonna-led probe, commissioned by the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, is “independent review to ensure that UNRWA adheres to the principle of neutrality.”
The report looked at the mechanisms of UNRWA and looked at whether they needed to be reformed.
Colonna listed a number of recommendations in the report.
One recommendation is that UNRWA regularly shares digitalised lists of employees with host countries and Israel.
She stated that host countries and Israel would need to provide screening results and evidence if there are any red flags.
Chris Gunness, the former chief spokesperson for UNRWA, welcomed the report.
He opined, “I think UNRWA will welcome it because it confirms that UNRWA is an indispensable lifeline for the people of the Middle East for refugees.”
“It also confirms UNRWA has established a significant number of mechanisms and procedures to ensure compliance with humanitarian principles, particularly neutrality, and it says UNRWA possesses a more robust approach to neutrality than any other UN or NGO organisation.”
Chris Gunness
Israel’s allegations, Gunness said, “remain unsubstantiated; it would seem that the Israeli claims amount to the mother of all lies based on a dodgy dossier.”
Jo Kelcey, an assistant professor of education at the Lebanese American University, spoke to a news agency about the Coronna report.
She described it as an “overwhelmingly positive report” that shows UNR“has the right checks and balances in place” and that she thinks “it also really discredits the allegations that have been made against [UNRWA].”
She added that it highlights a “sustained disinformation campaign against the agency”.
Kelcey said the report’s findings should allow the agency to return to its core work, which includes providing food to people who are starving in Gaza, building liveable shelters, and getting children back into school.
The UN Office of Internal Oversight is conducting a separate report into potential wrongdoing of UN staff
UNRWA Welcomes Colonna Report
In a statement, UNRWA Head, Philippe Lazzarini noted that the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees “welcomes the findings and recommendations of the independent review on the agency’s adherence to the humanitarian principle of neutrality.”
“The report confirms that UNRWA has established – over many years – policies, mechanisms and procedures to ensure compliance with the principle of neutrality,” he said.
“Safeguarding the neutrality of the agency is central to our ability to continue saving lives and contributing to the human development of Palestine Refugees in the Gaza Strip as it faces an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, and in the West Bank (including East Jerusalem), Syria, Lebanon and Jordan.”
Philippe Lazzarini
He also stated that the agency is developing an action plan with a timeline and budget to implement the report’s recommendations.
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