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 | UN WOMEN
In war-torn Gaza, a growing number of women-headed households face “impossible decisions” every day, amid ongoing Israeli airstrikes and still-scarce resources, UN humanitarians said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk made the following remarks to the Enhanced Interactive Dialogue on the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar at the 63rd Human Rights Council.
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk today delivered an update on the global human rights situation to the 63rdsession of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
Repeated attacks on humanitarian warehouses put vital medical aid at risk in Ukraine - WHO
A new airstrike overnight damaged one of the main warehouses used by the UN health agency to store humanitarian medical supplies in the Kyiv region, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday. This is the third attack to affect a WHO-used storage in the last three months.
2
2
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | WMO
Powerful El Niño heightens extreme-weather risks through 2027, as countries brace for impact - WMO
Fuelled by extraordinarily warm waters across the tropical Pacific Ocean, the El Niño climate pattern is expected to intensify in the coming months. Forecasters are almost certain that it will persist through February next year, with unusually warm conditions expected across the globe.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , IFRC , UN WOMEN , WHO
Nepal flood deaths near 1,000 as those spared struggle to survive – UN humanitarians
With the death toll in Nepal’s catastrophic flash floods inching towards 1,000, rescue workers are facing harsh conditions while survivors lack access to food, safe water and health care, humanitarians said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA , UNDRR , IFRC , WHO
Nepal: Flooding disaster “not over” as humanitarians work around the clock
While search and rescue efforts continued Friday following flash floods and mudslides in northern Nepal, UN humanitarians are taking stock of the devastation amid concerns over more flooding to come.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNIFIL
Damaged roads, disrupted services and renewed military activity are putting civilians at risk in south Lebanon, UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) warns.
The UN peacekeeping mission is urging restraint and renewed political engagement to prevent further escalation.
1
1
1
Edited News | ICRC , UNODA
Amid unconfirmed reports that fully autonomous and AI-guided drones are now being used on the battlefield, UN chief António Guterres and the President of the Red Cross on Tuesday renewed their urgent call for stricter controls, before it is too late.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF
Somalia: child hunger surges as humanitarian aid dries up – UNICEF
The global funding crisis for vital lifesaving work is taking a growing toll on the most vulnerable children in Somalia, where hundreds of health and nutrition facilities have been forced to close, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned on Friday
1
1
1
Edited News | OCHA
As the deadliest Ebola outbreak in DR Congo’s history continued spreading on Friday, UN responders renewed their urgent appeal for immediate international support, with existing funding for lifesaving work critically low.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
DRC: In the fight against Ebola, bikers transporting dead bodies hold key to community engagement - WHO
From the frontlines of the deadliest-ever Ebola Bundibugyo outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the UN’s World Health Organization (WHO) shared details on Tuesday of a massive push for community engagement, a day after yet another ambulance attack.