As Philippe Lazzarini’s term as Commissioner-General of UNRWA ended last week, UN Watch called on UN Secretary-General António Guterres to immediately waive any immunity enjoyed by the outgoing UN official so that competent national authorities may investigate and prosecute him for alleged complicity in terrorism, war crimes, and crimes against humanity. The request was made in a formal legal letter invoking Section 20 of the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations.
The letter argues that immunity exists solely to protect the interests of the United Nations, not individual officials, and must be waived where it would impede the course of justice without prejudicing the Organization’s interests.
“For years, we repeatedly warned Mr. Lazzarini that Hamas had deeply infiltrated UNRWA," said Hillel Neuer, Executive Director of UN Watch. “We provided detailed evidence identifying Hamas-affiliated teachers, school principals, union leaders, and other employees. We documented repeated meetings between senior UNRWA officials, including Mr. Lazzarini himself, and leaders of Hamas and other terrorist organizations. Yet he continued to assure governments that UNRWA’s neutrality mechanisms were effective while overseeing an agency whose personnel, facilities, and resources were being exploited by terrorist groups."
UN Watch contends that despite repeated warnings, Lazzarini continued to oversee the payment of salaries to thousands of UNRWA employees in Gaza, many of whom have since been shown to have deep ties to Hamas and other terrorist organizations, while continuing to administer facilities that provided terrorist groups with access to students, infrastructure, and institutional legitimacy. The letter states that these facts establish reasonable grounds to investigate whether Lazzarini knowingly facilitated or provided material support and assistance to individuals and entities involved in terrorism, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.
UN Watch called on Secretary-General Guterres to publicly waive any applicable immunity without delay and to ensure the full cooperation of the United Nations with any resulting criminal investigation.
“The credibility of the United Nations depends on demonstrating that immunity is not a shield for impunity," Neuer said.
Last week, UNRWA held a pledging conference at the United Nations in New York, with several countries announcing voluntary contributions for the Agency’s 2026 operations amid ongoing concerns over its management and neutrality. UN Watch warns that without accountability for past leadership failures, further funding risks perpetuating the very problems that have undermined UNRWA’s credibility.