Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide has announced that his country will be transferring additional funds to UNRWA despite reports that employees of the organization took part in the October 7th massacre.
According to the announcement, 275M krone will be transferred to UNRWA - equivalent to approximately $26M USD. “The war in Gaza started four months ago today. The situation is catastrophic. There is a shortage of all essential items and people are facing daily threats to their lives and safety. UNRWA is the backbone of humanitarian efforts in Gaza.”
The decision comes after several other countries, including the USA, UK, and Japan, have frozen funding to the organization due to the accusations against it.
“These allegations are shocking and we expect full transparency. There must be zero tolerance for such actions. However, we should not collectively punish millions of people for the alleged wrongdoing of 12 staff members. I urge all donors that have suspended their support to think about the consequences. The situation is dire not only for the population of Gaza, but also for Palestinians throughout the Middle East,” Eide commented.
Following the outcry against the UNRWA, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, in consultation with UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini, appointed an independent Review Group to assess whether the Agency is doing everything within its power to ensure neutrality and to respond to allegations of serious breaches when they are made.
The review will be led by Catherine Colonna, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs of France, who will work with three research organizations: the Raoul Wallenberg Institute in Sweden, the Chr. Michelsen Institute in Norway, and the Danish Institute for Human Rights.
The Review Group will begin its work on 14 February 2024 and is expected to submit an interim report to the Secretary-General late March 2024, with a final report expected to be completed by late April 2024. The final report will be made public.