*The Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the United Nations*
*(Information Section)*
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*Press Release*
*At UN, Pakistan Warns Against Efforts to Undermine UNRWA, Calls for Its Protection as a Moral and Legal Obligation*
*United Nations, November 13, 2025:* Pakistan today delivered an unequivocal call to safeguard and strengthen the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), denouncing systematic campaigns to delegitimize the Agency as a grave affront to international law and an attempt at extinguishing Palestinian statehood – a moral failure of the collective conscience of the international community.
Issuing a powerful appeal in defense of UNRWA’s indispensable mandate in the Fourth Committee, Ambassador Usman Jadoon, Deputy Permanent Representative of Pakistan, described the Agency as a legitimate organ of the international system, which has remained an enduring pillar of humanitarian relief, regional stability, and hope for the Palestinian people.
He extolled UNRWA’s “heroic staff who continue to serve under unimaginable hardship,” reflecting on the Agency’s seven-decade legacy, which has done far more than administer relief, but also preserve regional stability and uphold “a sense of dignity and belonging to those deprived of their homeland.”
He stressed that attacks on UNRWA are not a disparate series of provocations, but a “broader strategy to erase the identity of the Palestinian people and extinguish their aspirations for statehood and self-determination.”
Ambassador Usman deplored Israel’s recent legislative initiatives aimed at prohibiting UNRWA’s work and nullifying its immunities — as “a travesty of international law, a violation of the UN Charter, and an affront to this Assembly.”
Ambassador Jadoon emphasized that the prerogative to create—or disband—a UN agency belongs solely to the General Assembly and that no state may unilaterally undo institutional mandates. Citing the ICJ’s advisory opinion, he recalled that Israel remains legally obligated to facilitate UN humanitarian assistance, “particularly UNRWA.”
He reaffirmed Pakistan’s resolute commitment to the Palestinian people and maintained that the preservation of UNRWA’s mandate, resources, and operational space is a matter of moral and legal imperative.
“The humanitarian lifeline of millions cannot be hostage to political expedience,” he warned, urging long-term, structured support commensurate with the scale and urgency of human need.
Talking about the recent diplomatic momentum, the Pakistan Deputy Ambassador welcomed President Trump’s 20-Point Peace Plan and the agreement reached at the Sharm El-Sheikh Peace Summit, acknowledging the pivotal mediation of Egypt, Qatar, Türkiye, and the United States. He expressed hope that these initiatives will lead to a permanent cessation of hostilities and a credible, time-bound process toward a sovereign, independent, and contiguous State of Palestine.
He concluded his statement by restating Pakistan’s abiding commitment to justice, peace, and the Palestinian people’s inalienable right to self-determination. He reminded Member States that “UNRWA is not merely a humanitarian agency — it is a testament to the world’s conscience. Its preservation is a moral, legal, and collective obligation.”
Ambassador Jadoon affirmed that inaction at this moment would undermine not only humanitarian imperatives but also the very norms that govern responsible international conduct.
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