Foreign Minister Retno Affirms Indonesia's Commitment To Support UNRWA And Its Mandate For Palestine

RI Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi's meeting with UNRWA Head Philippe Lazzarini. (Source: Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs)

JAKARTA - The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia affirms its commitment to support the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugee in the Near East (UNRWA) and its mandate for Palestine.

This was conveyed by Foreign Minister Retno during a bilateral meeting with UNRWA Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini on the sidelines of the 79th UN General Assembly (UNGA) High Level Week (HLW) on Sunday in New York, United States.

This meeting discussed the development of the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Palestine, as well as the support of Indonesian humanitarian aid through UNRWA.

On this occasion, Lazzarini expressed his appreciation to Indonesia, which is always at the forefront of defending Palestine.

Furthermore, Lazzarini also conveyed that UNRWA's current condition is experiencing financial pressure, with many countries freezing its funding and a negative campaign in the media accusing UNRWA of being a terrorist organization.

"Until now, more than 250 humanitarian workers, including UNRWA humanitarian staff, have been killed and about 2/3 of UNRWA buildings have been damaged in Gaza," said Lazzarini, in a statement from the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Monday, September 23.

Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Retno emphasized Indonesia's support for the UNRWA mandate in handling Palestinian refugees. It is said, not only for refugees, UNRWA's position is also strategic in the post-conflict Palestinian recovery.

Foreign Minister Retno also reiterated the importance of protecting humanitarian personnel, as well as the full commitment of the Indonesian government to continue to strengthen UNRWA's mandate.

"This morning (September 22), I attended the Core Group meeting of the Foreign Minister of OKI to encourage the use of the UN General Assembly to garner support in an effort to improve the situation in Palestine, including through UNRWA," said Foreign Minister Retno.

As a form of support commitment, the Indonesian government has tripled its funding assistance to UNWRA in 2023, and this year, it has doubled its contribution to reach 1.2 million US dollars.

In addition, the Indonesian government also continues to encourage innovative funding to strengthen UNRWA, including exploring cooperation with the Indonesian Zakat Agency (Baznas) to increase aid distribution to UNWRA. Since November 2023, Baznas has distributed around 3.3 million US dollars to Palestinians.

It is known, Indonesia is part of the "Core Group of Friends of UNRWA" at the United Nations and supports the UNRWA Shared Commitment Initiative, focusing on strengthening UNRWA's mandate for the Palestinian people.