China News Service United Nations, February 5 (Reporter Wang Fan) United Nations Secretary-General Guterres said in a statement on February 5 that he has appointed an independent review team to assess whether the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) ensures neutrality and responds to allegations of serious violations.
The statement said that Guterres had appointed the review team after consultation with UNRWA Commissioner-General Lazzarini. The review team will be led by Colonna, the former Minister of France, who will work with three European research organizations: the Raoul Wallenberg Institute for Human Rights and Humanitarian Law in Sweden, the Christian Michelson Institute for Development Research in Norway and the Danish Institute for Human Rights.
The review team will begin its work on 14 February this year and is expected to submit an interim report to the Secretary-General in late March this year. The final report is expected to be completed in late April this year and released to the public.
The statement said the review was in response to a request made by Lazzarini earlier this year. This independent external review will be conducted in parallel with an ongoing investigation by the United Nations Office of Internal Oversight Services.
In January, Lazzarini said that 12 UNRWA employees had been implicated in the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) raid on Israel on 7 October last year, based on information provided by the Israeli authorities. Guterres was the first to demand an investigation into the allegations after expressing his shock.
As a number of countries, including the United States, Canada, Italy and the United Kingdom, announced that they would suspend financial assistance to UNRWA while the relevant investigations were ongoing, the agency had warned that UNRWA would not be able to continue its relief operations and services in the Gaza Strip and throughout the Middle East beyond the end of February if funds could not be restored. (ENDS).