Latest news with #UNRWA
Saudi Gazette
2 hours ago
- Politics
- Saudi Gazette
UNRWA chief: Limited Gaza aid a ‘mockery' as starvation deepens
GAZA — The Commissioner-General of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has sharply criticized the limited delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza, calling it a 'mockery' of the worsening humanitarian disaster in the territory. 'There are reports that 900 trucks were sent in the past two weeks. That's just over 10 per cent of the daily needs of people in Gaza,' Philippe Lazzarini said in a statement on Saturday, posted on X. 'The aid that's being sent now makes a mockery of the mass tragedy unfolding under our watch.' Lazzarini stressed that the humanitarian system is being paralyzed by politics while Gaza's 2.4 million residents face starvation and relentless bombardment. 'We are not asking for the impossible. Allow the UN including UNRWA and humanitarian partners to do our work: assist people in need and preserve their dignity,' he urged. He recalled that during the last ceasefire, aid organizations were able to deliver between 600 and 800 trucks daily, which helped avert famine at the time. 'The current mass starvation can be stopped. It takes political will,' he said. Since March 2, Israel has maintained a near-total blockade of Gaza, sealing all border crossings and halting the flow of food, fuel, and medicine. Israel's ongoing military offensive, which began in October 2023, has killed nearly 54,400 Palestinians — most of them women and children — according to Gaza health authorities. International aid groups have warned of a looming famine and the collapse of basic health infrastructure across the enclave. Israel is facing increasing international scrutiny over its actions in Gaza. The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for alleged war crimes. Separately, Israel is also the subject of a genocide case at the International Court of Justice. — Agencies
Egypt Today
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Egypt Today
UNRWA: Gaza aid does not match scale of humanitarian disaster
Gaza under Israeli aggression - file RAMALLAH/NEW YORK - 31 May 2025: The Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) Philippe Lazzarini stated that the amount of aid being sent to Gaza does not match the scale of the humanitarian disaster the region is experiencing. In statements carried by the Palestinian news agency (WAFA) on Saturday, Lazzarini said that famine in Gaza can be stopped if there is a political will. What we are asking for is not impossible. He called for helping the United Nations fulfill its role in delivering aid to those in need and protecting their dignity.
News18
8 hours ago
- Business
- News18
United Nations To Cut 20% Jobs Amid Fund Crunch. Is Trump's America To Blame?
Last Updated: According to Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, UN resources over at least the past 7 years have been shrinking, as not all member states pay yearly dues & many don't pay on time The United Nations (UN) seems to be no stranger to the global affliction with cost cutting. Over 60 UN offices, agencies, and operations have been instructed to submit plans by mid-June to reduce their staff by 20 per cent in an effort to consolidate operations amid a severe funding shortfall. The Associated Press quoted UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric as saying that the cuts affect about 14,000 posts covered by the regular budget, or about 2,800 posts, including staff in the UN's political and humanitarian offices, and its agencies helping refugees, promoting gender equality and dealing with international trade, the environment and cities. The UN agency supporting Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, is also on the list. In a memo to the affected agencies, UN Controller Chandramouli Ramanathan said the staff cuts are part of Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' goal of achieving a reduction of between 15-20 per cent in the UN's current budget of $3.72 billion. The World Food Programme (WFP) may reduce its workforce by up to 30 per cent, while the head of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) informed of plans to cut costs by 30 per cent and reduce senior-level positions by 50 per cent, according to internal memos obtained by the AP. In addition to WFP and UNHCR, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) are expected to make cuts, the report said. Reuters reported that as of May 2025, 41 member countries have not paid their full assessed contributions to the UN's regular budget. This has resulted in a projected $740 million deficit in the organisation's core $3.72 billion budget. The world's biggest economy, United States, is expected to pay 22 per cent of the regular budget, while No.2 China recently had its share raised to 20 per cent. Last year, 152 of the UN's 193 member nations paid their dues in full, including China, but 41 countries did not, including the United States. On one hand, as many countries grapple with domestic economic challenges, inflation, and post-pandemic fiscal constraints, making it harder for them to meet international financial obligations, on the other, escalating crises—from wars in Sudan, Gaza, and Ukraine, to climate emergencies and mass displacement—have placed higher demands on an already stretched budget. IS TRUMP TO BLAME? Though Guterres has denied any connection between the job cuts and the withdrawal of foreign aid by US President Donald Trump, numbers tell a different story. Trump, at the start of his second term, issued an executive order seeking a general review of all US contributions to the United Nations. What followed was his decision to not resume funding for UNRWA. He also issued an executive order halting most US foreign aid for 90 days and announced withdrawal from the World Health Organisation (WHO), stating it 'continues to demand unfairly onerous payments from the United States"— a move that proved to be a body blow for the organisation. Data on the UN Chief System Executives Board for Coordination reveals that the United States has remained the largest contributor to the UN since its founding in 1945. In 2023, the United States contributed nearly $13 billion, accounting for more than a quarter of the total funding for the UN's overall budget. This is exactly why when the US reduces or delays funding, it creates immediate cash flow problems for UN agencies that depend heavily on predictable contributions to plan and sustain operations. While there's no denying the significant contribution of the US in the funding of the United Nations, 41 member states have reportedly not fulfilled their financial obligations to the UN as of May 2025, contributing to a $740 million shortfall in the regular budget. Many countries are grappling with economic slowdowns, inflation, or shifting domestic priorities, leading to broader underfunding. Structural issues within the UN funding model—for instance reliance on voluntary rather than assessed contributions for many programmes—also make the system vulnerable. WHAT CAN UN DO? The United Nations can encourage countries, especially high-income nations like the United States, to pay their dues on time and in full. It can increase transparency about the impact of delayed contributions to pressure governments and probably use forums like the G20 to urge coordinated funding support, particularly for urgent humanitarian operations. top videos View all It can introduce instruments like green bonds, social impact bonds, or climate funds to raise capital for specific programmes. The UN's fund crunch is a crisis of political will and outdated financial architecture, not just economics. By combining short-term funding recovery with long-term reforms and innovation, the UN can emerge more resilient, efficient, and capable of addressing today's global challenges. tags : Antonio Guterres donald trump news18 specials United nations United states world food programme Location : New York, United States of America (USA) First Published: May 31, 2025, 15:03 IST News explainers United Nations To Cut 20% Jobs Amid Fund Crunch. Is Trump's America To Blame? | Explained
Al Etihad
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Al Etihad
New casualties in Gaza's Khan Younis amid UN warnings of child crisis
31 May 2025 09:14 GAZA (WAM)At least 13 Palestinians, including children and women, were killed on Friday in an Israeli attack on Khan Younis in the southern Gaza reported that Israeli drones targeted a tent sheltering displaced people in the Al-Mawasi area of northern Khan Younis, resulting in the deaths of 13 civilians, including at least three children and several women. Another woman was reportedly shot dead in the to Palestinian medical sources, the ongoing Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip has raised the total death toll to 54,321, with 123,770 injured since October 7, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) revealed that more than 50,000 Palestinian children have been killed or injured since October 2023, averaging one child every 20 a statement, UNICEF said that since the end of the ceasefire on March 18, 1,309 children have been killed and 3,738 organisation renewed its call to end the violence, protect civilians—including children—uphold international humanitarian and human rights law, ensure the immediate delivery of humanitarian aid, and release all the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) warned that Gaza is in urgent need of continuous humanitarian assistance. It confirmed that its warehouses in Amman hold enough supplies to feed more than 200,000 people for a criticised the current US-backed aid distribution system, describing it as deeply flawed and forcing residents to travel long distances, thereby risking what it called a 'second Nakba' due to potential forced displacement. UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini described the system as 'a waste of resources and a distraction from the atrocities', calling for unrestricted access for humanitarian organisations to operate freely.
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Business Standard
15 hours ago
- Politics
- Business Standard
UN seeks 20% cut in staff to help deal with critical funding crunch
More than 60 United Nations offices, agencies and operations have been ordered to submit proposals by mid-June to cut 20 per cent of their staff, as part of a major reform effort to consolidate operations in the face of a critical funding crunch. The cuts affect about 14,000 posts covered by the regular budget, or about 2,800 posts, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric told reporters on Friday. These include staff in the UN's political and humanitarian offices, and its agencies helping refugees, promoting gender equality and dealing with international trade, the environment and cities. The UN agency supporting Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, is also on the list. UN Controller Chandramouli Ramanathan said in a memo to the affected agencies that the staff cuts are part of Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' goal of achieving a reduction of between 15 per cent and 20 per cent in the UN's current budget of USD 3.72 billion. The cuts are part of the UN80 reform initiative launched by Guterres in March as the world body approaches its 80th anniversary later this year. The UN chief has dismissed any relationship with the cuts to foreign aid and other programmes by US President Donald Trump. Instead, he has pointed to shrinking UN resources over at least the past seven years as not all member states pay their yearly dues and many don't pay on time. The US, with the world's biggest economy, is expected to pay 22 per cent of the regular budget, while China, with the second-largest economy, recently had its share raised to 20 per cent. Last year, 152 of the UN's 193 member nations paid their dues in full, including China, but 41 countries did not, including the US. The controller's memo, obtained Thursday night by The Associated Press, gives advice to the heads of agencies on which posts to cut: Assess functions based on efficiency; Prioritise based on impact; Target redundant, overlapping or non-critical functions or roles for consolidation or abolition. Guterres and his predecessors in past decades struggled to reform the United Nations, which was established following World War II, and bring it into a modern era with different powers, new technology and greater global divisions. One key problem is that while the secretary-general is the UN's chief executive, power rests with the 193 member nations, which have very different ideas about the UN and the world. The proposed cuts must be submitted to the controller by June 13. Dujarric said they will be incorporated into Guterres' proposed 2026 budget, to be adopted by the General Assembly in December. The UN's 11 peacekeeping missions are financed by a separate budget, and many of its far-flung agencies and operations are funded entirely by voluntary contributions, including the Rome-based World Food Programme, known as WFP. Several UN agencies were already planning to slash jobs or cut costs in other ways, with officials pointing to funding reductions mainly from the United States and warning that vital relief programs will be severely affected as a result. WFP is expected to cut up to 30 per cent of its staff, and the head of the U.N. refugee agency UNHCR said it would downsize its headquarters and regional offices to reduce costs by 30 per cent and cut senior-level positions by 50 per cent, according to internal memos obtained by the AP. Other agencies, including UNICEF, the UN children's agency, and OCHA, the UN humanitarian agency, have also announced or plan to make cuts.
