The initiative is coordinated by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna and will bring together, starting this Wednesday, experts from the Raoul Wallenberg Institute in Sweden, the Michelsen Institute in Norway, and the Danish Institute for Human Rights, in the investigation to determine the alleged links of UNRWA with the Hamas group.
The organization itself announced last week the agenda of the group, which will present a provisional report to the Secretary-General, António Guterres, late in March 2024, and will release a final public report in April.
The group will review mechanisms and procedures that the Agency currently has to guarantee neutrality and respond to complaints or information that indicate violations of that principle. Furthermore, to determine how these mechanisms have or have not been implemented and whether every effort has been made to fulfill them to their utmost potential. Recommendations will also be made to improve the said mechanisms or to create new procedures.
The initiative adds to the UN’s efforts to keep UNRWA, considered the largest humanitarian actor in Gaza, afloat, after Israeli authorities accused a dozen of its employees of participating in the October 7th attacks.
“What we hope is that everyone in the region provides the necessary and required cooperation so that its report is as complete and accurate as possible,” said the Secretary General’s spokesman on Tuesday, Stéphane Dujarric, who confirmed that the UN is yet to receive a document from the Israeli authorities after the accusations. “We have not received any file or anything in writing,” he noted on Tuesday during an information session.
However, the accusation against the agency keeps at risk the operations of UNRWA, which has provided essential services – such as health, education, food, and shelter in Gaza for decades.
Following the accusation, the Agency’s main partners, including the United States, Canada, Australia, and several European nations, announced the interruption of their funding.
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