OIC Calls for Increased UNRWA Funding Amid Rising Tensions in the Middle East

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JEDDAH – The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has made a public appeal for enhanced financial support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). In a press release disseminated to the AIB on Tuesday, OIC Secretary General Mr. Hissein Brahim Taha urged all nations to amplify their contributions to UNRWA, highlighting the agency’s critical role in delivering humanitarian aid and essential services to Palestinian refugees.



According to Burkina Information Agency, such support is pivotal for fostering regional stability and underscores the international community’s dedication to safeguarding Palestinian refugees’ rights and pursuing a fair resolution to their plight.



This plea was issued during the inaugural session of an extraordinary meeting of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers, which took place at the OIC’s General Secretariat headquarters in Jeddah on Tuesday, March 5, 2024. Mr. Taha’s call comes amidst escalating violence in the region, with recent Israeli actions described as violating international norms and resulting in significant civilian casualties and displacement within the Gaza Strip. According to Mr. Taha, these acts have led to over 30,000 Palestinian civilian deaths, injured nearly seventy thousand individuals, predominantly women and children, and displaced close to two million Palestinians.



The extraordinary session, called upon by Member States, aimed to consolidate OIC efforts following the resolution of the Extraordinary Arab-Islamic Summit held in Riyadh on November 11, 2023. Mr. Taha acknowledged the Member States’ efforts in operationalizing the Arab and Islamic Ministerial Contact Group, which has engaged with influential countries, particularly UN Security Council members, and international organizations.



Additionally, Mr. Taha highlighted the activation of a media monitoring unit and the initiation of a legal observatory as part of the summit’s resolutions. These efforts include the submission of written information to the International Court of Justice by the OIC General Secretariat and 25 Member States, addressing the legal implications of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories since 1967.



The session featured remarks from notable officials, including Mohamed Marzouk, Mauritania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and meeting chairman; Prince Faisal bin Farhan, Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and current Islamic Summit session chairman; and Riyad Al-Maliki, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Palestine.