Ministry Statements & Speeches:
Mr President, thank you for convening this meeting. Thank you also to Commissioner General Lazzarini for his frank and sober briefing this morning and to the Palestinian students for sharing their stories.
Aotearoa New Zealand has been a supporter of UNRWA since its establishment. We consider UNRWA, and the services it provides, vital in contributing to the realisation of human rights for Palestinians, and in maintaining stability in the region.
Our long-standing support continues today. New Zealand is pleased to pledge $1 million New Zealand dollars for 2023 (or USD 609,000), as part of our multi-year commitment to UNRWA.
This brings our total contribution to UNRWA over the past two decades to over $27 million (or USD 16.5 million).
New Zealand appreciates that UNRWA, and its staff, operate in a difficult environment. The challenges it faces are immense.
The collective failure to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has led to continued waves of violence, human suffering, and further distance from a viable two-state solution.
We are also deeply concerned about UNRWA’s acute financial situation.
We commend UNRWA’s dedicated staff for their commitment to ensuring that the humanitarian, development and protection needs of Palestinian refugees are met in the absence of a lasting political solution to their situation.
We encourage UNRWA to continue to promote and uphold humanitarian principles and respect for UN values, such as tolerance and non-discrimination, as it carries out its vital work.
Thank you.