New York, Sept. 25 (Petra)-- Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and Expatriates Affairs Ayman Safadi, Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation José Manuel Albares, Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira, and Acting Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) Christian Saunders co-chaired on Thursday a ministerial meeting to mobilize support for UNRWA.

The meeting, organized by Jordan, Spain and Brazil, was attended by UN Secretary-General António Guterres and representatives of around 50 countries.

In his opening remarks, Safadi stressed the need to protect UNRWA from what he described as attempts to "politically assassinate" the agency by providing it with sustained financial and political support.

He reaffirmed Jordan's rejection of any changes to UNRWA's mandate under its UN mandate, as well as any attempts to transfer its responsibilities to host countries of Palestinian refugees.

Safadi stressed that the agency's role in serving Palestinian refugees remains indispensable.

The meeting opened with a minute of silence for the 399 UNRWA staff members who have lost their lives while working to protect people in Gaza.

"If the international community allows UNRWA to be dismantled, it will allow the suffering of two million Palestinians facing hunger, cold and deprivation in Gaza to continue," Safadi said.

He added that the international community had allowed Gaza to be devastated and the suffering of its people to worsen, stressing that it must not allow the dismantling of the organization best placed to assist them and alleviate their suffering.

Albares reaffirmed Spain's steadfast support for UNRWA's work, stressing that the agency cannot be replaced or dispensed with in Palestine and the region, and highlighting its role in supporting the dignity and resilience of Palestinian refugees.

Vieira said defending UNRWA means preserving prospects for peace, adding that without the agency, prospects for recovery, justice and a two-state solution would be undermined.

He also stressed that there should be no tolerance for the use of disinformation and hate speech to divert attention from what he described as atrocities continuing to be committed by Israel in Gaza and the West Bank.

Guterres said that since October 7, hundreds of UNRWA staff members had been killed and hundreds of the agency's facilities in Gaza destroyed, while schools and health centers in occupied East Jerusalem had been forcibly closed.

He described these measures as "completely unacceptable," saying they were inconsistent with Israel's obligations under international law.

Guterres noted that UNRWA's mandate had been renewed last December for another three years, but its ability to operate was now under serious threat.

He stressed that the status quo was unsustainable and called on the international community to provide sustained political and financial support to protect UNRWA's mandate, Palestinian refugees and their rights.

Saunders said UNRWA was facing major challenges in carrying out its work in Gaza and the West Bank, but remained the only agency capable of directly delivering services to refugees in the occupied Palestinian territories.

He said the agency was facing an exceptional financial crisis, with a cash-flow shortfall of $100 million for 2026, warning that without additional support it would be unable to continue providing essential services.

Saunders urged the international community to provide the financial support needed for UNRWA to maintain its services.

Khalil Al-Rahman, President of the 81st session of the UN General Assembly, said UNRWA's role was vital and that any reduction in its services would expose millions of people who depend on the agency to greater risks, which he said was unacceptable.

He noted that UNRWA was operating under extremely difficult conditions in Gaza and the West Bank while continuing to provide vital services, and called on countries to provide urgent financial support to enable the agency to maintain essential education, healthcare and other services.

Jordan has organized and co-chaired 11 ministerial conferences to mobilize support for UNRWA since 2017.

Separately, Safadi participated on Thursday in the ministerial meeting of the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee (AHLC), which coordinates international assistance to the Palestinian people, stressing the committee's important role in supporting the Palestinian economy and institutions.

//Petra// MF