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 affirmed 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 High Level Week (HLW) 79th UN General Assembly (UNGA) on Sunday in New York, United States.

This meeting discussed the development of the increasingly worsening humanitarian situation in Palestine, as well as Indonesia's humanitarian assistance support through UNRWA.

On that occasion, Lazzarini expressed his appreciation to Indonesia which has always been at the forefront in defending Palestine.

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

"To date, more than 250 humanitarian workers, including UNRWA humanitarian staff, have been killed and around 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 UNRWA's mandate in handling Palestinian refugees. It was said that not only for refugees, UNRWA's position is also strategic in the recovery of Palestine after the conflict.

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

"This morning (September 22), I attended the OIC Foreign Ministers Core Group meeting to encourage the use of the UN General Assembly to rally support in efforts to improve the situation in Palestine, including through UNRWA," explained Foreign Minister Retno.

As a form of commitment to support, the Indonesian Government has increased funding assistance to UNRWA threefold in 2023, and this year, it has doubled its contribution to 1.2 million US dollars.

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

It is known that Indonesia is part of the "Core Group of Friends of UNRWA" at the UN and also supports the UNRWA Shared Commitment Initiative, with a focus on strengthening UNRWA's mandate for the Palestinian people.