On Friday, 118 member states of the United Nations announced their joining of the Joint Commitments Initiative launched by Jordan, Kuwait and Slovenia, which aims to support the Palestine Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in facing political and financial challenges, and to emphasize its vital role in providing services to Palestinian refugees, and as a pillar. For regional stability.

This came in a press conference at the conclusion of the UNRWA Pledging Conference, which the United Nations holds annually at its headquarters in New York.

Jordan's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Mahmoud Hammoud, said, "We are here to officially announce the UNRWA Short Commitment Initiative, which was initiated by Slovenia, Jordan, and Kuwait, and was initially launched by a group of 16 countries to support the agency."

He added that 118 countries had joined the initiative, as of Friday evening (occupied Jerusalem time), noting that he had received calls from representatives of other countries who expressed a desire to join the initiative. He called on other member states to join the initiative, which he said was open to all member states to sign at any time.

Hammoud stressed the great importance of supporting UNRWA during this difficult time, “because the Agency is a lifeline for Palestine refugees in all its areas of operation, and there is no other agency or body linked to the United Nations or humanitarian agencies capable of performing the tasks that UNRWA performs, especially with regard to education, health and providing livelihood.” In areas of operations, including the occupied Palestinian territory.

For her part, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Slovenia, Tanja Vajon, stressed the great importance of UNRWA, which “save[s] the lives of citizens every day,” and expressed her thanks to the Foreign Ministers of Jordan and Kuwait for their work in this initiative.

Faillon said that these joint commitments send a strong signal of political support for UNRWA, noting that these commitments emphasized the important role of the agency in accordance with its mandate issued by the General Assembly to provide life-saving assistance to generations of Palestinian refugees, and appreciation of the agency’s role as the backbone of all humanitarian responses in Gaza. Appreciation to the Secretary-General and Commissioner-General of UNRWA for their dedication to implementing UNRWA’s mission and mandate, the need to implement the recommendations of the UNRWA Independent Review Group report, UNRWA’s role as a pillar of regional stability, concerns about the very critical financial situation of the Agency and the efforts of donors and host countries to respond to the Agency’s financial crisis and the importance of having Adequate, predictable and sustainable funding support for the Agency, and the importance of all States and other UN bodies cooperating with UNRWA in enhancing the vision and support of the Agency’s important work.

She added that this initiative constitutes a testimony to the importance of UNRWA.

In turn, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini expressed his appreciation for the strong support and solidarity not only with the agency but also with its staff, noting that the Joint Commitment Initiative also included all members of the Security Council.

He said that it is an important day for the agency in the midst of the fierce, politically motivated attack it is being subjected to. He stressed the importance of Member States reaffirming their support and confidence in the Agency.

Lazzarini said that this commitment is a tribute to the agency’s employees who work under difficult and unprecedented circumstances, noting that it serves as a testimony that UNRWA is, and will continue to be, the backbone of the humanitarian response.

This commitment, according to Lazzarini, is also testimony that there is no other alternative but a political solution to allow the agency to carry out its activities on which millions of people depend.

Last May, the ambassadors of Jordan, Kuwait and Slovenia to the United Nations launched an initiative of joint commitments towards the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), “in awareness of the many operational, political and financial challenges facing UNRWA, especially in the past few months.”