The new Labour government says UNRWA is “absolutely central” to humanitarian aid and pledges $27 million.
The new UK Labour government has announced it will resume funding for the UN refugee agency (UNRWA).
“We are reversing the suspension of funding to UNRWA,” British Foreign Secretary David Lammy told parliament on Friday, adding that the UN agency was “absolutely central” to providing humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Lammy has pledged to provide £21 million ($27 million) in new funding to the agency, lifting a funding suspension introduced by the previous Conservative government.
In January, Britain was one of several countries to suspend funding to UNRWA following accusations by Israel that some of the agency’s staff were involved in the October 7 attack in southern Israel by the Palestinian group Hamas.
An independent investigation authorized by the UN concluded that Israel had not provided credible evidence to support its accusations and most donors have since restored their funding. A separate investigation is underway into the October attack itself, led by the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services.
Lammy said he was reassured that the agency, which provides education, health care and aid to millions of Palestinians, had taken steps to “ensure it meets the highest standards of neutrality”.
Malnutrition in Gaza is now so severe that mothers can no longer give their children milk, he added. He pointed to diarrhea rates 40 times higher than normal and the recent detection of poliovirus in the enclave.
“Humanitarian aid is a moral necessity in the face of such a catastrophe, and it is humanitarian agencies who are ensuring that British aid reaches civilians on the ground,” he said.
“UNRWA plays an absolutely essential role in these efforts. No other agency can provide assistance on the scale that is needed.”
Other countries, including Japan, Germany, Italy, Australia and Canada, have also resumed funding for the agency. But the largest donor, the United States, has not.
In February, Lammy’s predecessor David Cameron said he wanted an “absolute guarantee” that UNRWA would not employ staff prepared to attack Israel.
Cameron was replaced by Lammy as foreign secretary after Labour won the July 4 election.