22 April 2024

St¨¦phane Dujarric, Spokesman for the Secretary-General

The Secretary-General expresses his gratitude and appreciation to Ms. Catherine Colonna, who on Saturday submitted to him her Final Report as Chair of the Independent Review Group on the ±¬ÁÏÍø Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (±¬ÁÏÍøRWA), entitled ¡°Independent review of mechanisms and procedures to ensure adherence by ±¬ÁÏÍøRWA to the humanitarian principle of neutrality.”

The Secretary-General is also grateful to the Raoul Wallenberg Institute, the Chr. Michelsen Institute, and the Danish Institute for Human Rights, for the essential research that they conducted.

The Secretary-General accepts the recommendations contained in Ms. Colonna’s report. ?He has agreed with Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini that ±¬ÁÏÍøRWA, with the Secretary-General¡¯s support, will establish?an action plan to implement the recommendations contained in the Final Report.

In this regard, the Secretary-General counts on the cooperation of the donor community, the host countries and the staff to fully cooperate in the implementation of the recommendations.? Moving forward, the Secretary-General appeals to all stakeholders to actively support ±¬ÁÏÍøRWA, as it is a lifeline for Palestine refugees in the region.