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UN PhotoGENEVA / UNRWA LAZZARINI PRESSER
STORY: GENEVA / UNRWA LAZZARINI PRESSER
TRT: 03:05
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 10 MARCH 2025, GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
1. Wide shot, speakers
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA):
“The ceasefire agreement has shown that whenever there is a political will, humanitarian assistance can be unhindered and un-interrupted. Between the beginning of the cease fire and 2 March, humanitarian assistance has increased 10 folds.”
3. Wide shot, press room, journalists, screens
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA):
“It is critical that humanitarian aid is allowed into Gaza again, to maintain the progress made during the first phase of the ceasefire and meet people’s basic needs.”
5. Wide shot, press room, journalists, screens
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA):
“In the West Bank the operation by the Israeli Security Forces, which started six weeks ago, is severely impacting Palestinians, especially in the north. Palestinian armed groups are also increasingly active in the area. Several refugee camps have been nearly emptied, displacing around 40,000 Palestine Refugees.”
7. Wide shot, press room, journalists, screens
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA):
“This is the largest displacement of Palestinians in the West Bank since 1967. The large-scale demolition of buildings, including residential areas is alarming. People have nowhere to return to.”
9. Wide shot, press room, journalists, screens
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA):
“While a number of International NGOs have already been silenced, there is now a larger, concerted effort in Israel to undermine, or restrict through legislative measures, the operations of international organisations and NGO.”
11. Wide shot, press room, journalists, screens
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA):
“International staff have been effectively expelled from the occupied West Bank due to the lack of valid visas.”
13. Wide shot, press room, journalists, screens
14. SOUNDBITE (English) Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA):
“Since the ceasefire began in Gaza, UNRWA has provided food to 2 million people, opened nearly 40 new emergency shelters, and provided over 60,000 people with tents.”
15. Wide shot, press room, journalists, screens
16. SOUNDBITE (English) Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA):
“Collapse would create a dangerous vacuum in the occupied Palestinian territory and send shockwaves through Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. An environment in which children are deprived of education, and people lack access to basic services, is fertile ground for exploitation and extremism. This is a threat to peace and stability in the region and beyond.”
17. Wide shot, journalists
18. SOUNDBITE (English) Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA):
“So, to conclude, the main ask to Member States has been: sustain UNRWA until the political direction of travel is clear.”
19. Wide shot, speakers
The head of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) warned Monday (Mar 10) that the agency’s collapse could destabilize the region, leaving millions without basic services. “Collapse would create a dangerous vacuum in the occupied Palestinian territory and send shockwaves through Jordan, Lebanon and Syria,” Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini told reporters in Geneva.
He also said, “An environment in which children are deprived of education, and people lack access to basic services, is fertile ground for exploitation and extremism.”
Lazzarini called for sustained support to UNRWA, saying, “The main ask to Member States has been: sustain UNRWA until the political direction of travel is clear.”
He pointed to the recent ceasefire in Gaza as proof that “whenever there is a political will, humanitarian assistance can be unhindered and uninterrupted.” Aid deliveries increased tenfold between the start of the truce and March 2, allowing UNRWA to provide food to 2 million people, open nearly 40 emergency shelters, and distribute over 60,000 tents. But he warned that continued access was critical. “It is critical that humanitarian aid is allowed into Gaza again, to maintain the progress made during the first phase of the ceasefire and meet people’s basic needs.”
In the West Bank, Israeli security operations and increased activity by Palestinian armed groups have forced nearly 40,000 refugees from their homes. “This is the largest displacement of Palestinians in the West Bank since 1967,” he said. “The large-scale demolition of buildings, including residential areas, is alarming. People have nowhere to return to.”
Lazzarini also raised concerns about growing restrictions on international organizations working in the occupied territories. “While a number of international NGOs have already been silenced, there is now a larger, concerted effort in Israel to undermine, or restrict through legislative measures, the operations of international organizations and NGOs.” He noted that UN international staff had been “effectively expelled” from the West Bank due to visa restrictions, further complicating relief efforts.
With UNRWA under financial strain and its operations at risk, Lazzarini warned of broader consequences. “This is a threat to peace and stability in the region and beyond,” he said.
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