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UNRWA warns of collapse as Norway, EU and UK announce pledges for Palestinian aid and reconstruction planning
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Summary
The U.N. agency for Palestine refugees told conference delegates that Gaza faces mass starvation and that UNRWA risks collapse; Norway, the European Union and the United Kingdom announced new funding and donor coordination to support Palestinian institutions and reconstruction planning.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) told ministers at the New York conference that its operations and Gaza's civilian population are in acute peril and called for immediate action to avert further humanitarian catastrophe.
"As this conference takes place, life is being extinguished in Gaza," the UNRWA representative told the session, describing frontline workers as "walking corpses" and saying the agency faces a $200,000,000 shortfall. The statement said the agency's schools and health facilities provide vital public services that cannot easily be substituted and warned that the collapse of UNRWA would undermine any future political solution.
Several states announced or reaffirmed donor commitments during the wrap‑up session. Espen Barth Eide, minister for foreign affairs of Norway and co‑chair of working group 4, said Norway would provide an "additional budget support of, approximately 20,000,000 United US dollars," and urged other donors to match the pledge.
A European Union representative said the EU had approved a €1,600,000,000 support package for 2025–2027 linked to structural reforms and proposed establishing a Palestinian donor group to coordinate funding and monitor reforms. "We are keeping the Palestinian Authority from financial collapse, and we have stepped up our engagement to reach a ceasefire and improve access for humanitarian support," the EU speaker said.
The United Kingdom said it would provide an additional $54,000,000 in humanitarian assistance, including $27,000,000 for UNRWA. The UK statement said it is co‑chairing planning for innovative financing with the Palestinian Authority and Egypt and plans a donor conference in October.
Conference participants also urged immediate, unhindered humanitarian access to Gaza and protection for aid workers. Several working groups recommended recovery and reconstruction planning tied to a transitional governance and security arrangement; Egypt, which co‑chaired humanitarian action and reconstruction work, said it will host an international reconstruction conference once a ceasefire is in place.
UNRWA's representative urged member states to consider time‑bound political processes that would allow the agency to transition services to empowered public institutions while maintaining custodianship of refugee status and identity. "The fate of millions of people is in your hands," the representative said.
Ending note: Delegates emphasized that large‑scale assistance, donor coordination and protection of UNRWA's mandate are prerequisites for any credible reconstruction effort and for preserving the institutional foundations for Palestinian statehood.
