STATEMENT BY THE DELEGATION OF CUBA ON AGENDA ITEM 49 OF THE FOURTH COMMITTEE. UNGA 79.

Madam Chair: 

At the outset, we would like to thank the presence of Mr. Philippe lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the UNRWA and his very insightful presentation to this Commission.

Cuba aligns itself with the statement made by Venezuela on behalf of the Group of Friends in defense of the Charter.

We extend our sincerest condolences for the UNRWA personnel who have lost their lives to Israel's indiscriminate bombings and attacks against the Palestinian civilian population in Gaza over the past year.

We repudiate the murders of innocent people as a result of Israel's war against Gaza, which Israel attacks viciously, without distinction of ethnicity, origin, nationality or religious faith.

Israel violates each and every UN resolutions and neglects each and all its obligations as an occupying power under the Fourth Geneva Convention, fully confident that protection from the Security Council's paralysis on this issue will guarantee its continuous evasion of responsibilities.

Madam Chair: 

The recent adoption by the Israeli Parliament of a law banning all operations in the occupied Palestinian territories by the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, in addition to violating the UN Charter and Israel's obligations under international law will exacerbate the suffering of the Palestinian population.

The attack on UNRWA is a means to deprive Palestinian refugees and internally displaced Palestinians in Gaza of the shelter and the assistance that keeps the population alive in the midst of a genocide. This attack is, furthermore, an integral part of Israel's broader aggression against the UN and against International Law. Israel not only seeks to avoid justice for the Palestinian people, including refugees, but it also seeks to evade any responsibility for its heinous crimes against them.

The work of the Agency is essential in multiple spheres of life and social development of the Palestinian people. However, we would like to make emphasis on the area of ​​education. Only UNRWA can provide education to more than 650,000 girls and boys in Gaza and to 50,000 in the West Bank. The collapse of the Agency would deprive hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees of their right to education.

Madam Chair: 

Providing humanitarian aid in the midst of this catastrophe of Dantesque proportions is extremely difficult. The lack of fuel, the continuous bombings, the destruction of infrastructure and the interruptions in communication networks significantly worsen the situation around the Agency, whose work is more necessary today than ever.

These developments raise widespread concern and fear about the future of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East.

For the millions of Palestinian refugees registered in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and the Occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, as well as in the blockaded Gaza Strip, the daily worsening of the situation on the ground, the absence of a political solution to the conflict due to Israel's irreverent and irresponsible stance for the past 76 years, as well as the lack of funds necessary to carry out the UNWRA programs, point to an unpromising future.

Madam Chair: 

In this framework, we once again highlight the work carried out by this Organization on the ground, with well-deserved recognition to the Agency's personnel and a heartfelt tribute to those who have lost their lives in this extraordinary mission, in the midst of a devastating reality, facing an operational deficit and indiscriminate bombings against its facilities and the civilian population of Gaza.

Despite all this, this Agency continues to stand with the firm purpose of easing the pain of tens of thousands of human beings and bringing essential help to thousands of people, including the elderly, women and children.

We are convinced of the necessity to make every possible effort so that the important work of the Agency continues, even more so in this context of merciless war, where more than 43 thousand people have died, most of them women and children, while thousands of others remain trapped under the rubble, waiting for possible rescuers who may be able to save them or bury them.

We call on the UN Member States to show political will in order to ensure a more sufficient, predictable and sustained funding for the Agency (UNRWA) to continue fulfilling its mandate given by us and renewed at the 77th session of the UNGA.

We welcome UNRWA's strategy to broaden its donor base, increase the digital fundraising and explore innovative financing mechanisms to ensure that Palestinian refugees have continued access to all services today more than ever.

 

Madam Chair: 

A comprehensive, just and lasting solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict inexorably demands the real exercise of the inalienable right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and to build their own independent and sovereign State within the pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its Capital in, as well as the right of return of refugees. There is no other effective way to stop this spiral of violence once and for all, save human lives and chart a viable course for peace.

We reiterate our firm support and solidarity for the just cause of the Palestinian people, as well as the necessity to redouble the efforts to resolve the plight of their refugees, in accordance with the rules and principles of International Law and the relevant United Nations resolutions. 

Thank you!