Mr. António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations,

Mr. Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen

As President of the General Assembly, I have consistently emphasized that the work and impact of the United Nations extends far beyond the physical confines of our headquarters in New York.

From Philippe Lazzarini, the UNRWA Commissioner-General as posted on his official X account (previously known as Twitter)

Thank you.

An impressive show of solidarity and support of 118 member states including all members of the UN Security Council. 

It comes at a critical time as @UNRWA  undergoes unprecedented attacks and systematic attempts to dismantle it. 

#Gaza is an active war zone with a complex operating environment for aid agencies including @UNRWA.

Aid at scale is not reaching people in need, eight months on a brutal war.

What are the restrictions and why is it a challenge

GENEVA - Checked against delivery

Excellencies,  

Dear Members of the Advisory Commission,

Welcome to the Palais des Nations, for the first in-person meeting of the Advisory Commission since the start of the war in Gaza.

I would like to thank the United States for its efforts as Chair of the Advisory Commission, as well as Egypt and the European Union for their efforts as Vice-Chairs.

GENEVA– checked against delivery 

Thank you. Thank you so much. And again, a pleasure to be with you. We have this kind of regular meetings, here in Geneva. It's become a habit. And unfortunately, each time the situation in the region, in Gaza, in the West Bank, but also now in Lebanon, is getting worse. But let me start by telling you why I'm here this week. 

Ten requirements to avoid an even worse catastrophe

21 February 2024

Statement

New York, Geneva, Rome

The Secretary-General has condemned in the strongest terms the 26 May air strikes on Rafah hitting tents sheltering displaced people. He is heartbroken by the images of the killed and injured, including many small children. As he has said before, the horror and suffering must stop immediately.

MR. MARTIN GRIFFITHS, UNDER-SECRETARY-GENERAL FOR HUMANITARIAN AFFAIRS & EMERGENCY RELIEF COORDINATOR

Dead Sea, Jordan, 11 June 2024

Thank you very much indeed for this opportunity to speak. Thank you, Your Majesty [King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein of Jordan], Mr. President [Abdel Fattah Al Sisi of Egypt], Honorable Secretary-General, excellencies, and friends of the people of Palestine.

Statement by Martin Griffiths, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator

(New York, 12 June 2024) As the powerful Group of Seven (G7) meets in Italy tomorrow, conflicts in Sudan, Gaza and beyond are raging out of control. War is pushing millions of people to the brink of starvation. Only technicalities prevent famines from being declared, as people are already dying of hunger.

NEW YORK/GENEVA/ROME, 30 January 2024 – The allegations of involvement of several UNRWA staff in the heinous attacks on Israel on 7 October are horrifying. As the Secretary-General has said, any UN employee involved in acts of terror will be held accountable. 

However, we must not prevent an entire organization from delivering on its mandate to serve people in desperate need.