UN / LAZZARINI GAZA SITUATION

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As Israel’s ban on UNRWA is set to take effect within two weeks, Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini told journalists in New York that “dismantling UNRWA now, outside a political process, would undermine the cease fire agreement and sabotage Gaza’s recovery and political transition.” UNIFEED
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STORY: UN / LAZZARINI GAZA SITUATION
TRT: 03:02
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS

DATELINE: 17 JANUARY 2025, NEW YORK CITY / RECENT

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Shotlist

FILE - NEW YORK CITY

1. Wide shot, exterior United Nations Headquarters

17 JANUARY 2025, NEW YORK CITY

2. Wide shot, press room
3. Wide shot, journalists
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner General, United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA):
“I welcome the ceasefire and the hostage deal in Gaza. And I joined also the Secretary-General in calling on all parties to ensure the deal is fully implemented.”
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner General, United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA):
“The ceasefire is only a starting point. As far as UNRWA is concerned, we are ready to support the international response by scaling up - like our partners - aid delivery. And we are ready to support also, at a later stage, the recovery of Gaza by resuming education and continuing to provide the primary healthcare.”
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner General, United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA):
“The government of Israel claims that UNRWA services can be transferred to other entities. In fact, the agency's mandate and capacity to provide public services to an entire population is unique. UNRWA’s ability to directly provide education and primary health care far exceed that of any other entity. These services, in reality, can only be transfer to a functioning state.”
7. Wide shot, journalists
8. SOUNDBITE (English) Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner General, United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA):
“So, dismantling UNRWA now - outside a political process - would undermine the ceasefire agreement and sabotage Gaza's recovery and political transition.”
9. Med shot, journalist
10. SOUNDBITE (English) Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner General, United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA):
“The determination of the agency is to do whatever is possible to fulfil our mandate to deliver critical services, to alleviate the plight of the Palestinian refugees.”
11. Med shot, journalist
12. SOUNDBITE (English) Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner General, United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA):
“We should aim at ending the mandate of UNRWA by genuinely investing in a political solution, so that we have a legitimate counterpart to whom to hand over in the future the activities, the workforce, of the agency.”
13. Med shot, journalist
14. SOUNDBITE (English) Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner General, United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA):
“We succeeded to bring all these archives of the Palestinian refugees back to safety. It has taken quite a lot of time, a lot of courage also of many of our colleagues on the ground. But they have been brought to safety, and they have been digitized.”
15. Wide shot, end of presser

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Storyline

As Israel’s ban on UNRWA is set to take effect within two weeks, Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini today (17 Jan) told journalists in New York that “dismantling UNRWA now, outside a political process, would undermine the cease fire agreement and sabotage Gaza’s recovery and political transition.”

Lazzarini joined Secretary-General António Guterres in welcoming the recent ceasefire and hostage deal in Gaza, “calling on all parties to ensure the deal is fully implemented.”

He stressed that “the ceasefire is only a starting point” and said “as far as UNRWA is concerned, “we are ready to support the international response by scaling up - like our partners - aid delivery. And we are ready to support also, at a later stage, the recovery of Gaza by resuming education and continuing to provide the primary healthcare.”

The UNRWA Commissioner General said, “the government of Israel claims that UNRWA services can be transferred to other entities. In fact, the agency's mandate and capacity to provide public services to an entire population is unique. UNRWA’s ability to directly provide education and primary health care far exceed that of any other entity.”
These services, he said, “can only be transfer to a functioning state.”
Lazzarini said that regardless of the implementation of the Israeli law, “the determination of the agency is to do whatever is possible to fulfil our mandate to deliver critical services, to alleviate the plight of the Palestinian refugees.”

He said, “we should aim at ending the mandate of UNRWA by genuinely investing in a political solution, so that we have a legitimate counterpart to whom to hand over in the future the activities, the workforce, of the agency.”

Responding to a journalist’s question about UNRWA’s archives that had been stored in Gaza, the Commissioner General said, “we succeeded to bring all these archives of the Palestinian refugees back to safety. It has taken quite a lot of time, a lot of courage also of many of our colleagues on the ground. But they have been brought to safety, and they have been digitized.”

UNRWA is funded almost entirely by voluntary contributions from UN Member States. UNRWA also receives some funding from the Regular Budget of the United Nations, which is used mostly for international staffing costs.

The Agency’s services encompass education, health care, relief and social services, camp infrastructure and improvement, microfinance and emergency assistance, including in times of armed conflict.

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