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STORY: UN / UNRWA SHARED COMMITMENTS
TRT: 02:45
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGES: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 22 MAY 2024, NEW YORK CITY / FILE
FILE - NEW YORK CITY
1. Wide shot, exterior, United Nations
22 MAY 2024, NEW YORK CITY
2. Wide shot, ambassadors at the Security Council stakeout podium
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Mahmoud Daifallah Hmoud, Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Jordan:
“Being aware of the numerous operational, political and financial challenges UNRWA has been facing, especially in the last few months, we decided to launch an initiative of shared commitments on UNRWA. This initiative follows up to the challenges addressed at the UN Security Council briefing in April, General Assembly meeting in March, and the letter of the Commissioner General in February. In accordance with its General Assembly mandate, the agency has a vital role in providing life saving humanitarian assistance and human development services to generations of Palestine Refugees in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Jordan, Lebanon and the Syrian Arab Republic. We therefore believe it is important for countries to reaffirm their support for the work of the Agency and its indispensable role in providing assistance and relief and send signals of strong political support for UNRWA.”
4. Wide shot, ambassadors at the podium
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Riyad H. Mansour, Permanent Observer, Palestine:
“We welcome the launch of these shared commitments and hope that many other states will join and affirm these commitments in support of UNRWA. UNRWA does not only need financial support, but it needs political support. And this effort is a significant step in having this political support for UNRWA on the basis of its mandate, as we see it in the General Assembly.”
6. Wide shot, ambassadors at the podium
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Riyad H. Mansour, Permanent Observer, Palestine:
“It is a wonderful Omen, as we assemble today, that we received very positive news from Europe, that Spain, Ireland and Norway declared today that they will be recognizing the state of Palestine on the 28th of this month. This European wave hopefully will be followed by other waves. The support to the state of Palestine its admission to the UN and recognition is taking momentum after what we did in the Security Council, and what we did in the General Assembly. The state of Palestine deserves to be a full member state in the United Nations.”
8. Zoom out, ambassadors walk away
The Permanent Representatives of Jordan, Kuwait, and Slovenia today (22 May) announced the launch of an initiative of shared commitments to the Palestine refugee agency (UNRWA).
Jordanian Ambassador Mahmoud Daifallah Hmoud, flanked by a large group of country representatives, told reporters in New York that the initiative had been launched “being aware of the numerous operational, political and financial challenges UNRWA has been facing, especially in the last few months,”
Hmoud said, “in accordance with its General Assembly mandate, the agency has a vital role in providing life saving humanitarian assistance and human development services to generations of Palestine Refugees in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Jordan, Lebanon and the Syrian Arab Republic. We therefore believe it is important for countries to reaffirm their support for the work of the Agency and its indispensable role in providing assistance and relief and send signals of strong political support for UNRWA.”
Palestinian Ambassador Riyad H. Mansour welcomed the launch of the intiative and expressed hope “that many other states will join and affirm these commitments in support of UNRWA.”
He said the Agency “does not only need financial support, but it needs political support. And this effort is a significant step in having this political support for UNRWA on the basis of its mandate, as we see it in the General Assembly.”
Mansour said it was “a wonderful Omen, as we assemble today, that we received very positive news from Europe, that Spain, Ireland and Norway declared today that they will be recognizing the state of Palestine on the 28th of this month.”
He said, “this European wave hopefully will be followed by other waves. The support to the state of Palestine its admission to the UN and recognition is taking momentum after what we did in the Security Council, and what we did in the General Assembly. The state of Palestine deserves to be a full member state in the United Nations.”
The shared commitments initiative aims to address UNRWA’s role in Gaza and for regional stability, as well as its financial situation and questions relating to the principles of neutrality, recognition of UNRWA’s staff, and the importance of cooperation with the Agency, among other aspects.
