Guterres' remarks came during an emergency meeting of the United Nations General Assembly dedicated to discussing voluntary contributions to the agency's funding, where he stressed that UNRWA is suffering a double crisis in the form of restrictions imposed on its work within the occupied Palestinian territories, in addition to a severe shortage of funding.
He said the current financial crisis has undermined the agency's ability to meet its obligations, even though the General Assembly renewed its mandate six months ago with broad support from member states. He added, "They cannot continue in this way without urgent support and financial assistance from member states."
He stressed that the agency represents "a stabilizing force in an era of instability," expressing his shock at what he described as attempts to undermine its role through "misinformation, smear campaigns, legislative measures, operational restrictions, and diplomatic obstacles."
He pointed out that the continuation of these pressures not only threatens the future of the agency, but also affects millions of Palestinian refugees who depend on its services, in addition to its employees, explaining that “390 UNRWA employees have been killed in the Gaza Strip since October 2023.”
UNRWA provides relief, education, health care and social services to Palestinian refugees in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, and also provides shelter to some 2.6 million Palestinians.
As part of its austerity measures, Guterres explained that the agency has reduced its service hours by 20% this year, cut the salaries of local staff, and left 15% of international positions vacant, warning that any further reductions could push it beyond the "breaking point."
For his part, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric described the situation facing UNRWA as an "existential crisis," noting that the results of the donors' conference would be announced on Wednesday.
According to UNRWA data, the agency received financial pledges of $887 million during 2025, while actual contributions amounted to $829 million, which covers only about 27% of its estimated funding needs of $3.3 billion.
The United States, the largest donor to UNRWA, halted its funding in January 2024 following Israeli accusations that a number of the agency's staff were involved in the October 7, 2023 attack. Sweden also halted its funding for 2025, while a number of donors temporarily suspended their contributions before most of them later resumed funding.
