The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
STORYLINE
Following the serious allegations that several staff working for the UN agency assisting Palestine refugees (UNRWA) in the Gaza Strip were involved in the 7 October terror attacks in southern Israel which has led numerous states to temporarily suspend their payment to the aid organization, the World Health Organization (WHO) today (30 January) appealed to donors “not to suspend their funding to UNRWA at this critical moment. Cutting of funding will only hurt the people of Gaza who desperately needs support”.
When briefing journalists at the UN in Geneva, WHO’s spokesperson Christian Lindmeier said that “criminal activity can never go unpunished. But the discussion right now is much of a distraction from what's really going on every day, every hour, every minute in Gaza. It's a distraction from close to 27,000 deaths by now, out of which 70 per cent are women and children.”
Mr. Lindmeier added that “it's a distraction from preventing an entire population from access to clean water, food, shelter. It's a distraction from preventing electricity to come into Gaza for more than 100 days.”
In addition to its programmes in the Gaza Strip, UNRWA provides vital humanitarian aid to Palestine refugees in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, and in the West Bank including East Jerusalem.
In the Gaza Strip, the agency is providing lifesaving aid to over two million civilians, operating shelters for over one million and providing food, water and healthcare services.
Mr. Lindmeier reminded of a very dire situation where the “food and water situation is extremely bad, food cut off in Gaza since more than 100 days, fresh water supplies are cut off, water is mixed with wastewater”. Also, the pumping stations are not working because of a lack of fuel and the population is at the border of famine.
“We had a convoy just this morning trying to reach Nasser Hospital with patients, health care staff, everybody. They are needing food, but the very needy population already before basically took the supplies - as we can call it - this was a self-distribution of supplies, which only shows how dire the needs are,” said the WHO spokesperson.
According to the latest report of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), hostilities were particularly intense in Khan Younis, with heavy fighting reported near Nasser and Al Amal hospitals. There are also reports of Palestinians fleeing to the southern town of Rafah, which is already overcrowded, despite the lack of safe passage.
OCHA’s spokesperson Jens Laerke emphasized that “UNRWA has not stopped working, UNRWA continues to work. It's the pipeline of funding that is in danger while it’s irreplaceable in the humanitarian operation.”
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres will host a meeting today (30 January) with major UNRWA donors in New York to issue an urgent plea to keep lifesaving funds flowing.
-ends-
STORY: Gaza Update – WHO, OCHA
TRT: 2:09”
SOURCE: UNTV CH
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 30 January 2024 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
- Exterior medium shot: UN flag alley
- Wide shot: speakers at the press conference
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Christian Lindmeier, spokesperson for the World Health Organization (WHO): “Criminal activity can never go unpunished. But the discussion right now is much of a distraction from what's really going on every day, every hour, every minute in Gaza. It's a distraction from close to 27,000 deaths by now, out of which 70 per cent are women and children.”
- Wide shot: press room with journalists
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Christian Lindmeier, spokesperson for the World Health Organization (WHO): “It's a distraction from preventing an entire population from access to clean water, food, shelter. It's a distraction from preventing electricity to come into Gaza for more than 100 days.”
- Medium shot: journalist standing in press room
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Christian Lindmeier, spokesperson for the World Health Organization (WHO): “We appeal to donors not to suspend their funding to UNRWA at this critical moment. Cutting of funding will only hurt the people of Gaza who desperately needs support”.
- Close up: journalist typing in laptop
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Christian Lindmeier, spokesperson for the World Health Organization (WHO): “We had a convoy just this morning trying to reach Nasser Hospital with patients, health care staff, everybody. They are needing food, but the very needy population already before basically took the supplies - as we can call it - this was a self-distribution of supplies, which only shows how dire the needs are.”
- Wide shot: press room with journalists and speakers at the podium
- SOUNDBITE (English) – Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA): “UNRWA has not stopped working, UNRWA continues to work. It's the pipeline of funding that is in danger while it’s irreplaceable in the humanitarian operation.”
- Close up, journalist typing
- Close up, journalist listening
- Close up, journalist reading
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
The telecommunications shutdowns in Afghanistan in September had serious and far-reaching impacts on people’s lives, according to a briefing paper published today by the UN Human Rights Office and the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Jeremy Laurence at the UN Geneva press briefing made the following comment on the ASEAN declaration on the right to a healthy environment.
1
1
1
Edited News | IFRC , OCHA , WMO
‘Catastrophic’ Hurricane Melissa hours from landfall in Jamaica as humanitarians rush to save lives
Millions in Jamaica and across the Caribbean are bracing for massive impact from Hurricane Melissa on Tuesday as the UN and partners are warning of a “severe” and “immediate” humanitarian threat.
1
1
Edited News | WHO
‘We need all routes to open’: in Gaza WHO calls for ramp-up of medevacs, easier access for essentials
Two weeks since a ceasefire agreement entered into force in Gaza the World Health Organization (WHO) noted progress on the flow of aid while calling for more evacuations of critical patients and eased entry for essential medicines and supplies.
1
12
1
1
Edited News | WMO , UNITED NATIONS
UN chief urges boost to life-saving weather warning systems, stresses role of climate change science
No country is safe from the devastating impacts of extreme weather — and saving lives means making early-warning systems accessible to all, UN chief António Guterres said on Wednesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | WFP
Gazans’ response to food distributions ‘overwhelming’ as humanitarians scale up under fragile ceasefire
In Gaza, the ceasefire is enabling UN humanitarians to reach more desperate people with life-saving food, but greater access is needed to contain the spread of famine.
1
1
1
Edited News | WFP , OCHA
UN urges opening of all Gaza crossings to deliver three-month food supply
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) has warned food aid cannot reach everyone in Gaza unless all border crossings are opened, particularly in the north where famine was declared in August. The agency says it already has enough supplies in place to feed the entire population of the Strip for three months – if full access is granted by Israel.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNDP , UNICEF , OCHA , ICRC
Around $70 billion will be needed to reconstruct Gaza and make it safe after two years of war, UN development experts said on Tuesday, while aid agencies reported that far too little aid continues to reach desperate Palestinians.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
The UN human rights office, OHCHR, on Friday welcomed the Nobel Peace Prize committee’s decision to name Maria Machado as this year’s laureate, in recognition of her work promoting the Venezuelan people’s democratic hopes.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNRWA , UNICEF , WHO
As Gazans jammed the main route leading north on Friday after a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas was announced, UN aid teams repeated their call to open all crossings into the devastated enclave to prevent famine spreading.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , UNICEF , WHO
Two years of Gaza-Israel war bring ‘indescribable’ pain: UN humanitarians
Two years since the Hamas-led terror attacks on Israel, UN humanitarians on Tuesday reiterated calls for the release of all hostages in Gaza, an immediate ceasefire and an aid surge to alleviate Palestinians’ suffering, as talks on a US-driven peace plan continued in Egypt.
1
1
1
Edited News
Syria prison survivor seeks justice for the missing with UN backing.