Türkiye signs deal to host UNRWA office

ISTANBUL

Türkiye and the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) signed an agreement on Monday to establish a UNRWA office in the country, according to the agency.

The agreement, signed on the sidelines of the 51st Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers meeting in Istanbul, "marks a milestone in the relationship between the agency and Türkiye and bears testimony to the country’s political and financial support to UNRWA," it said.

Philippe Lazzarini, commissioner-general of the agency, welcomed the move, calling it a "strategic decision" that would help expand the agency's political and financial support base.

“This new office will enable UNRWA to diversify and expand its political and financial support base,” Lazzarini said. “I also commend the Turkish government for increasing its humanitarian assistance to UNRWA during the war, using a combination of funding to support lifesaving operations and wheat flour to the people of Gaza.”

“Through this Host Country Agreement, the cooperation between UNRWA and the government of Türkiye is set to grow, allowing the agency to liaise and build an even stronger partnership with Turkish institutions and the Turkish public,” the agency said.

“Since it became a member of the UNRWA Advisory Commission in 1949, Türkiye has been a longstanding supporter and partner of the agency to serve Palestinian refugees," it added.

UNRWA has provided essential services—including primary healthcare, education, and emergency assistance—to the Palestinian refugees in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, the Gaza Strip, Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan for decades.