Operations of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

A document of the General Assembly, under agenda item 49 United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, published in 2025.

What other versions does this mandate have?

29 versions · 1997–2025

Year	Symbol	Title	Word length	Text similarity
2025	A/RES/80/77	Operations of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East	5,989	23%Compare
2023	A/RES/78/73	Operations of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East	4,835	100%Compare
2022	A/RES/77/122	Operations of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East	4,831	97%Compare
2021	A/RES/76/78	Operations of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East	4,719	93%Compare
2020	A/RES/75/94	Operations of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East	4,802	94%Compare

Who cites this mandate in the budget?

2 entities

Entity	(Sub-)Programme	Title	Total mandates cited	Expenditure
	Subprogramme 1	Prevention, management and resolution of conflicts	122
	Programme 22	Palestine refugees	7

Historical expenditure covers the complete programme or subprogramme, not this mandate. For an overview of all UN entities and programmes, see UN entities and programmes.

Who cites this mandate in the budget?

2 entities

Entity	(Sub-)Programme	Title	Total mandates cited	Expenditure
	Subprogramme 1	Prevention, management and resolution of conflicts	122	—
	Programme 22	Palestine refugees	7	—

Historical expenditure covers the complete programme or subprogramme, not this mandate. For an overview of all UN entities and programmes, see UN entities and programmes.

Which reports were submitted under this mandate?

2 reports · 2011–2017

Year	Symbol	Title		Mandate resolution
2017	A/71/849	Operations of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East report of the Secretary-General		A/RES/71/93
2011	A/65/705	Report of the Secretary-General on strengthening the management capacity of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East		A/RES/64/89

What subjects does this mandate have?

8 subjects

Aid Financing Budget Contributions Gaza Strip Humanitarian Assistance International Obligations Israel Palestine Refugees Refugee Assistance

What’s in this document?

49 operative paragraphs

Affirms its full support for the mandate of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East in all of its fields of operation, namely Jordan, Lebanon, the Syrian Arab Republic and the Occupied Palestinian Territory;

Reaffirms the necessity for the continuation of the work of the Agency and the importance of its unimpeded operation and provision of services, including emergency assistance, for the well-being, protection and human development of the Palestine refugees and for the stability of the region, pending the just resolution of the question of the Palestine refugees in line with the relevant resolutions;

Stresses that, at a time of heightened conflict and instability in the Middle East, the Agency continues to play an indispensable role in ameliorating the plight of the more than 6 million Palestine refugees registered with the Agency and in providing a crucial measure of stability in the region, including in Gaza in the post-ceasefire period and including by mitigating the consequences of alarming trends and severe crises in the Agency’s areas of operation, including increasing violence, marginalization and poverty;

Expresses its appreciation for the tireless efforts of the Commissioner-General and the staff of the Agency in all fields of operation in fulfilment of the mandate of the Agency and respect for the principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence, particularly in the light of the dire humanitarian conditions, instability and unprecedented crises faced during the past year;

Commends the Agency for its extraordinary efforts, in cooperation with other United Nations agencies on the ground, to provide emergency humanitarian assistance, including shelter, food and medical aid, to refugees and affected civilians during periods of crisis and conflict, and recognizes its exemplary capacity to mobilize in emergency situations while continuously carrying out its core human development programmes, particularly its education programme;

Endorses the efforts of the Commissioner-General of the Agency to continue to provide humanitarian assistance, as far as practicable, on an emergency basis, and as a temporary measure, to persons in the area who are currently displaced and in serious need of continued assistance as a result of the June 1967 and subsequent hostilities, while reaffirming the right of all persons displaced as a result of the June 1967 and subsequent hostilities to return to their homes or former places of residence in the territories occupied by Israel since 1967;

Emphasizes in particular that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East remains the backbone of all humanitarian response and basic services for Palestine refugees in Gaza and the other fields of operation in the region, and affirms that no organization can replace or substitute the Agency’s capacity and mandate to serve Palestine refugees and civilians in urgent need of life-saving humanitarian assistance;

Underscores in this regard the critical role also to be played by the Agency in implementing urgently needed recovery and stabilization efforts in a post-ceasefire period in the Gaza Strip, considering its personnel capacity, operational agility, network of facilities, decades of proven humanitarian and human development expertise and cost-effective operations in comparison to other organizations;

Recalls the New York Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, and underscores the commitment to continue supporting the Agency in the implementation of its mandate, including through the appropriate funding, as well as its commitment and ongoing efforts to implement the recommendations of the Colonna Report, and that, upon the achievement of a just solution to the Palestine refugee issue, to be agreed upon in accordance with resolution 194 (III), the Agency will hand over its public-like services in the Palestinian territory to empowered and prepared Palestinian institutions;

Recognizes the critical contribution the Agency can make in implementing the New York Declaration, the Arab-Islamic Early Recovery, Reconstruction and Development Plan for Gaza, and other major international initiatives, including the ceasefire agreement, as it serves as a pillar for regional stability, including through the scaling-up of humanitarian assistance, restoration of education, health, water, sanitation and other basic services, and support for Palestinian capacity-building, and requests the Secretary-General to inform the General Assembly as soon as possible of how the Agency can concretely contribute in this regard;

Strongly warns against any attempts to dismantle or diminish the operations and mandate of the Agency, recognizing that any interruption or suspension of its work would have severe humanitarian consequences for millions of Palestine refugees who depend on the Agency’s services and also implications for the region;

Deplores the legislation adopted by the Israeli Knesset on 28 October 2024 and enacted as of January 2025, and calls upon the Israeli Government to abide by its international obligations, respect the privileges and immunities of the Agency and uphold its responsibility to allow and facilitate full, rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian assistance in all its forms into and throughout the entire Gaza Strip, including the provision of sorely needed basic services to the civilian population;

Also deplores breaches of the inviolability of United Nations premises, the failure to accord the property and assets of the Organization immunity, the failure to protect United Nations personnel, premises and property and any disruption caused to Agency operations by such violations;

Condemns the killing and injury of Agency personnel, including over 300 staff members among at least 565¹⁴ humanitarian workers killed in Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip since October 2023;

¹⁴United Nations, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, situation report of 9 October 2025.

Demands that all parties act, in accordance with international law and the relevant resolutions, to enable the Agency to carry out its mandate, as adopted by the General Assembly, in all fields of operation, with full respect for the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence, and respect international humanitarian law obligations, including the protection of United Nations and humanitarian facilities;

Also demands that Israel respect the mandate of the Agency and its privileges and immunities and act forthwith to enable its operations to proceed without impediment or restriction in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, including, inter alia, to allow and facilitate full, rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian assistance in all its forms into and throughout the entire Gaza Strip in accordance with the mandate of the Agency and to alleviate the humanitarian catastrophe, including by fully lifting the restrictions impeding or delaying the import of necessary construction materials and supplies for the reconstruction and repair of damaged and destroyed refugee shelters and the implementation of urgently needed civilian infrastructure projects in the refugee camps in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank;

Reiterates its demand that Israel comply without delay with all its legal obligations under international law, including, inter alia, to take all necessary and effective measures to ensure, in full cooperation with the United Nations, the unhindered provision at scale by all concerned of urgently needed basic services and humanitarian assistance, including food, water, electricity, fuel, shelter, clothing, hygiene and sanitation requirements, as well as medical supplies and medical care, to the Palestinian civilian population throughout the Gaza Strip;

Calls upon Israel, the occupying Power, to comply fully with the provisions of the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War, of 12 August 1949;

Underscores the findings in the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice of 22 October 2025 relevant to the mandate and operations of the Agency, including, inter alia, the Court’s findings regarding the Agency’s impartiality and neutrality, in line with paragraphs 114 and 118 of the advisory opinion, and that Israel, as the occupying Power, and in view of the scale and urgency of needs of the Palestinian population and that it is inadequately supplied with humanitarian aid and essential basic services, is obligated to agree to and facilitate relief schemes provided by the United Nations and its entities, including the Agency, in accordance with international humanitarian law, including the Fourth Geneva Convention, and with the obligation of Member States under the Charter of the United Nations to cooperate in good faith with the United Nations and its entities;

Also underscores the Court’s reaffirmation of the permanent responsibility of the United Nations towards the question of Palestine until it is justly resolved in all its aspects and the Court’s recognition that, since its establishment, the Agency has been an indispensable provider of humanitarian relief and basic services for the Palestine refugees in the Gaza Strip and the wider region, and that Israel is not entitled to unilaterally decide on the presence and activities of United Nations entities in and in relation to the Occupied Palestinian Territory, nor unilaterally revoke the privileges and immunities accorded to the United Nations and its personnel, including the Agency;

Calls upon Israel to abide by Articles 100, 104 and 105 of the Charter of the United Nations and the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations in all aspects and to ensure the safety of the personnel of the Agency, the protection of its installations and the safeguarding of the security of its facilities in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, at all times, to comply with international humanitarian law, and to cease obstructing the movement and access of the staff, vehicles and supplies of the Agency and levying taxes, extra fees and charges on the Agency;

Underscores the imperative of reparations, in accordance with international law, for all losses, damage and destruction sustained by the Agency in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, and calls upon the Secretary-General to undertake the necessary assessments to this end;

Calls upon all parties to ensure respect for and the protection of all humanitarian personnel and United Nations and associated personnel, to respect the principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence for the provision of humanitarian assistance and to respect and protect the inviolability of United Nations premises;

Calls upon the Agency to continue to fully implement its high-level action plan for the implementation of the 50 recommendations of the Independent Review of Mechanisms and Procedures to Ensure Adherence by UNRWA to the Humanitarian Principle of Neutrality (Colonna Report) and to keep donors and other Member States regularly informed of the progress, welcomes the commitment affirmed by the Secretary-General and the Agency to fully implement the recommendations and the considerable progress already achieved, and urges Member States to provide the necessary political and financial support to enable timely and effective implementation;

Stresses the need to support the capacity of the Agency to uphold its mandate and to avert the serious humanitarian, political and security risks that would result from any interruption or suspension of its vital work;

Endorses the efforts of the Commissioner-General to continue to provide humanitarian assistance, as far as is practicable, on an emergency basis and as a temporary measure, to persons in the area who are internally displaced and in serious need of continuing assistance as a result of recent crises in the Agency’s fields of operation;

Encourages the Agency, in close cooperation with other relevant United Nations entities, to continue to make progress in addressing the needs, rights and protection of children, women and persons with disabilities in its operations, including through the provision of necessary psychosocial and humanitarian support, in accordance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child,¹⁵ the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women¹⁶ and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities;¹⁷

¹⁵United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1577, No. 27531.

¹⁶Ibid., vol. 1249, No. 20378.

¹⁷Ibid., vol. 2515, No. 44910.

Also encourages the Agency to continue to reduce the vulnerability and improve the self-reliance and resilience of Palestine refugees through its programmes;

Recognizes the acute protection needs of Palestine refugees across the region, and encourages the Agency’s efforts to contribute to a coordinated and sustained response in accordance with international law, including the Agency’s protection strategic framework;

Commends the Agency for its humanitarian and psychosocial support programmes and other initiatives that provide recreational, cultural and educational activities for children in all fields, including in the Gaza Strip, recognizing their positive contribution, calls for full support for such initiatives by donor and host countries, and encourages the building and strengthening of partnerships to facilitate and enhance the provision of these services;

Appeals for the continued maintenance and enhancement of the Agency’s refugee registration system and the preservation of its historical archives, and emphasizes the importance of ensuring that these tools remain accessible to refugee families as a means of safeguarding their rights and their heritage, pending a just and lasting resolution;

Welcomes the efforts of donors, organizations and host countries to respond to the Agency’s unprecedented financial crisis, including through generous, additional contributions, including to the Agency’s emergency appeals;

Calls upon Member States and relevant stakeholders to provide the widest possible support to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, in order to enable the Agency to uphold its mandate;

Expresses its deep appreciation to all donor countries and organizations that have, inter alia, sustained, accelerated or increased their contributions to the Agency, helping to alleviate its recurrent financial crises, to mitigate imminent risks to its core and emergency programming and to prevent an interruption of essential assistance to Palestine refugees;

Welcomes the Statement of Shared Commitments on UNRWA, initiated by Jordan, Kuwait and Slovenia on 22 May 2024, which expressed support for the Agency to effectively uphold the mandate conferred on the Agency by the General Assembly in all fields of operation in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Jordan, Lebanon and the Syrian Arab Republic and emphasized the indispensable role of the Agency in its 75 years of existence and work in assisting the Palestine refugees and its contribution to regional stability;

Expresses its appreciation for the important support and cooperation provided by the host Governments to the Agency in the discharge of its duties;

Also expresses its appreciation to the Advisory Commission of the Agency, and requests it to continue its efforts and to keep the General Assembly informed of its activities;

Takes note of the report of the Working Group on the Financing of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East¹⁸ and the efforts to assist in ensuring the financial security of the Agency, and requests the Secretary-General to continue to provide the necessary services and assistance to the Working Group for the conduct of its work;

¹⁸A/79/329.

Urges immediate efforts to address the financial and operational crises affecting the Agency due, inter alia, to rising needs and expenditures resulting from the deterioration of the socioeconomic conditions, unprecedented humanitarian crises and the conflicts and rising instability in the region and their significant negative impact on the ability of the Agency to deliver essential services to the Palestine refugees, especially in the Occupied Palestinian Territory and Lebanon;

Takes note of the report of the Secretary-General on the operations of the Agency¹⁹ and the conclusions and recommendations contained therein, including the proposal for an increased assessed contribution from the regular budget of the United Nations;

¹⁹A/71/849.

Recognizes the Agency’s extremely dire financial situation and the necessity to strengthen its capacity to respond to the increased and emerging needs related to the catastrophic humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, as well as to continue to strengthen and sustain the Agency’s compliance with the recommendations of the Independent Review (Colonna Report) through increased contributions, including from the assessed regular budget of the United Nations;

Requests the Secretary-General to submit a proposal for funding requirements in the context of the proposed programme budget for 2027, in support of international staff requirements, in accordance with resolution 3331 B (XXIX) of 17 December 1974;

Calls upon the members of the Advisory Commission and the Working Group on the Financing of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East to consider the relevant recommendations in the report of the Secretary-General, including to help the Agency to address resource mobilization challenges and to actively assist the Commissioner-General in the efforts to create sustainable, sufficient and predictable support for the Agency’s operations;

Requests the Commissioner-General to continue efforts to maintain and increase traditional donor support and to enhance income from non‑traditional donors, including through partnerships with public and private entities and exploration of financial avenues in relation to the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals;²⁰

²⁰See resolution 70/1.

Urges States and organizations to actively pursue partnerships with and innovative support for the Agency, including as recommended in paragraphs 47, 48 and 50 of the report of the Secretary-General,²¹ including through the establishment of endowments, trust funds or revolving fund mechanisms and assistance to the Agency to access humanitarian, development and peace and security trust funds and grants, as well as financing from international financial development institutions;

²¹A/71/849.

Appeals to States and organizations for voluntary contributions to the Agency, including multi-year funding agreements, full and timely disbursements of pledges and an increase in such contributions where possible, in particular for the programme budget of the Agency, as well as for its emergency, recovery and reconstruction programmes as set out in its appeals and response plans, to support the mandate of the Agency, to alleviate its recurrent underfunding, to mitigate imminent risks to its core and emergency programming and to prevent the interruption of essential assistance to the Palestine refugees and the dire repercussions of any such interruption;

Reiterates its appeals to all States, the specialized agencies, and intergovernmental and non‑governmental organizations to continue and to augment their contributions to the programme budget of the Agency, to increase their special allocations for grants and scholarships for higher education to Palestine refugees and to contribute to the establishment of vocational training centres for Palestine refugees, and requests the Agency to act as the recipient and trustee for the special allocations for grants and scholarships;

Calls upon the Commissioner-General to include, in the annual reporting to the General Assembly, assessments on the progress made to remedy the recurrent funding shortfalls of the Agency and ensure sustained, sufficient and predictable support for the Agency’s operations, including through the implementation of the relevant provisions of the present resolution;

Recognizes the important and indispensable role of the Agency in its 75 years of existence and work in assisting the Palestine refugees throughout its five fields of operations and contributing to regional stability; underscores that it is irreplaceable, and stresses the importance of cooperation of all States and other United Nations bodies with the Agency to enable the effective implementation of its mandate in all fields of operation until the realization of a just solution to the question of Palestine, including for the Palestine refugees, in accordance with the relevant United Nations resolutions.

Who adopted this document and its mandates?

What other versions does this mandate have?

Who cites this mandate in the budget?

Who cites this mandate in the budget?

Which reports were submitted under this mandate?

What subjects does this mandate have?

What’s in this document?

Table of contents

Who cites this mandate in the budget?