Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to his Oral Statement of 19 July 2024 on Israel and Gaza, Official Report, column 301, what discussions he has had with representatives of UNRWA on the management reforms recommended in the Final Report of the Independent Review of Mechanisms and Procedures to Ensure Adherence by UNRWA to the Humanitarian Principle of Neutrality, published on 20 April 2024, that will be supported by UK funding.

The Foreign Secretary and Minister Dodds spoke to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) Commissioner General, Philippe Lazzarini, in July. They discussed UNRWA's progress in implementing the recommendations from the Final Report of the Independent Review of Mechanisms and Procedures to Ensure Adherence by UNRWA to the Humanitarian Principle of Neutrality led by Catherine Colonna. The FCDO speaks regularly to UNRWA and other international donors on UNRWA management reforms, including at their bi-annual Advisory Commission meeting that met in June.

Catherine Colonna's report found the existing UNRWA neutrality framework "robust", but neutrality issues persisted. UNRWA committed to implementing all the review's recommendations. The Foreign Secretary was subsequently reassured that UNRWA is committed to the highest standards of neutrality. £1 million of the UK's £21 million support to UNRWA this financial year will support implementation of these reforms.