UNRWA Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini speaks to the press after a briefing to diplomats on the situation in Gaza, at the United Nations Offices in Geneva, on Tuesday, February 13, 2023. - AFP
GENEVA (Reuters): The head of the UN Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) said on Tuesday that calls to dismantle it were short-sighted and that terminating its mandate weakened the world's ability to response to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.
"I have talked to the member states about all these calls to have UNRWA dismantled, to be terminated.
"I have warned about the impact, I have said that these calls are short-sighted," UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said after a meeting with member states at the United Nations in Geneva.
"The impact is not just on the short-term. It not just weakens our collective ability to respond to the humanitarian crisis..."
(Reporting by Gabrielle Tétrault-Farber; Editing by Alex Richardson) - Reuters
