Brussels – The Belgian government on Thursday decided not to suspend assistance to UNRWA, in line with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling allowing unhindered access to humanitarian aid in the Gaza Strip, Al-Mamlaka TV reported. Reported.
Nicolas Fierens-Gevaardt, official spokesperson for the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, said Belgium’s current choice to continue funding UNRWA was due to urgent humanitarian needs and the impending threat of famine in the region. He said that this was due to a threat from the government. The decision also follows a recent judgment by the ICJ, which emphasized the importance of facilitating unimpeded humanitarian assistance to Gaza.
“Belgium has provided UNRWA with funding of €13.5 million in 2023,” Gewald said.
Of this amount, 7 million euros were allocated to general operations and 4.5 million euros to specific projects. In response to the outbreak of the current war and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, the Belgian government has decided to provide an additional €1 million.
However, Belgium is awaiting the results of an investigation into possible links between UNRWA officials and Hamas.
Mr. Gewald clarified that the decision to maintain funding for UNRWA does not mean that Belgium will completely dismiss Israel’s claims. Brussels intends to closely monitor the internal investigation launched by the United Nations and is calling on UNRWA to provide full transparency and strengthen vetting procedures for its staff.
Furthermore, Belgium supports the European Commission’s call for an external review of UNRWA’s accounts.
In parallel, UN Secretary-General António Guterres appointed an independent review group to assess UNRWA’s efforts to maintain neutrality. The external, independent review is conducted concurrently with an ongoing investigation by the United Nations Office of Internal Oversight (OIOS) into allegations involving 12 UNRWA staff.
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