Portugal kept up aid to UNWRA even when other countries were stalling
Portugal’s outgoing prime minister, António Costa, will inform the United Nations secretary-general, António Guterres, today of a €10-million increase in the country’s support for the UN agency that supports Palestinian refugees – deploring the “unacceptable” humanitarian situation in Gaza.
“Today I will have the opportunity to inform the secretary-general of the United Nations that the Council of Ministers (in Portugal) adopts a resolution bolstering by ten million euros our humanitarian and specific support to the United Nations agency supporting Palestinian refugees, in order to ensure its proper functioning and the ability to provide food, medicine, humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people, who are being victimised by an unacceptable attack,” said Costa, who once served under Guterres when the latter was prime minister of Portugal in the late 1990s.
Costa was speaking on the arrival of his last European summit in Brussels, at which an attempt is to be made to reach a common position on the Middle East given the humanitarian tragedy in Gaza.
In his comments, he emphasised that “the most important dimension of this (European) Council begins precisely with lunch with the secretary general of the United Nations, with a debate on the situation in the Middle East.”
He stressed that “the need for an immediate pause, leading to a sustainable ceasefire, will be discussed, since the situation is absolutely unacceptable from a humanitarian point of view, and from the point of view of international law.
“We are all unanimous in condemning the barbaric attack that took place against Israel on October 7 (committed by the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas), but we must all also be unanimous in condemning the unacceptable way in which Israel is currently exercising its right to defence, (which implies) rules and respect for human life,” he continued.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has been the target of unsubstantiated accusations that some of its officials were involved in the Hamas attacks last October, writes Lusa.
These accusations stemmed from Israeli sources, and initially saw a number of countries ‘freeze’ their aid to the agency.
At the end of 2023, Portugal increased its support for the agency by €4 million and, at the beginning of this year, announced another increase of €1 million (to make up for some of the temporary shortfalls).
With today’s development, Portuguese support for the UN agency that helps Palestinian refugees will rise to €15 million.
Meantime, heads of government and States of the European Union, meeting in Brussels, are to try to agree on a common position in the face of the humanitarian tragedy and imminent risk of famine in Gaza.
The European Council begins with an informal meeting between EU leaders and the UN secretary general, who is to report to the EU heads of government and State on the UN’s efforts to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza.
The last time that the European Council adopted conclusions on the Middle East was October, given the impossibility of reaching consensus in recent months.
This is the last summit at which Portugal will be represented by Mr Costa, following the nomination last night of his successor, Luís Montenegro of the Democratic Alliance, which won the March 10 elections caused by Costa’s resignation late last year.
A farewell video by Mr Costa is to be broadcast at the meeting and he is to be presented with a statuette alluding to the European Council’s headquarters, adds Lusa.
