(L-R) Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA Commissioner-General; Xavier Bettel, Luxembourg's Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Foreign Affairs & Foreign Trade, Minister for Development Cooperation & Humanitarian Affairs;
Credit: MAE
On Wednesday 6 November 2024, Luxembourg's Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade and Minister for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs, Xavier Bettel, took part in the informal session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in New York, US.
As reported by Luxembourg's Foreign Ministry, Minister Bettel expressed in his address his deep concern about the situation of UNRWA: "Following the adoption by the Knesset [Israel's parliament] of two laws aimed at abolishing UNRWA's activities in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, a decision that I deeply deplore, the circumstances of our meeting today could not be more urgent: the very existence of UNRWA is at stake."
He stressed the importance of the work carried out by the UN agency, particularly in the context of the war between Israel and Hamas: "UNRWA supports millions of people in the region and, over the past twelve months, I have had the opportunity on several occasions to witness first-hand the impact of the work carried out by this agency, particularly in the areas of emergency assistance, education and health." At the same time, he stressed the need to implement the recommendations of the report of the independent review group led by Catherine Colonna in order to ensure that the principle of neutrality is respected by UNRWA staff. Luxembourg's Foreign Minister insisted that the school textbooks used by UNRWA teachers must be irreproachable and not convey messages inciting hatred of others. He concluded his speech by reaffirming Luxembourg's continued support for UNRWA in this difficult period.
Following his UNGA speech, Minister Bettel had a bilateral meeting with UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini, with whom he signed a new Strategic Partnership Framework between Luxembourg and UNRWA. Through this agreement, the Grand Duchy has committed itself to allocating a total of €30 million to UNRWA over three years, from 2025 to 2027, i.e. an annual contribution of €10 million.
In New York, Minister Bettel also had a bilateral meeting with UN Secretary-General António Guterres. They notably discussed Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine and the situation in the Middle East. Minister Bettel assured the Secretary-General of Luxembourg's "full support" for multilateralism and the role of the UN in this period marked by multiple crises.
