UNRWA review warns Palestinian aid group could collapse

A review of the operations of the struggling UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) has laid out four possibilities for its future, including closure. It comes ahead of a vote by UN member states on whether UNRWA should continue its operations. Commissioned by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, the review headed by former senior UN official Ian Martin concluded the discrepancy between UNRWA’s mandate and its lack of financial support would mean major changes. The review was prompted by “political and financial pressures” that are preventing UNRWA from fully carrying out its mandate, its director of external relations and communications Tamara Al Rifai told The National.