Unrwa chief welcomes UK's decision to restore funding

Philippe Lazzarini, the commissioner-general of the UN refugee agency for Palestinians (Unrwa), has welcomed the UK's decision to restore funding to the agency.

"The resumption of funding is testament to the lifesaving & human development work of our teams across the region including on the humanitarian front lines in #Gaza," he wrote on X.

"The UK has been a committed & long-standing partner to UNRWA over the decades. This announcement comes at a critical time as the Agency continues to come under harsh & unprecedented attacks.

In London today, I reiterated that @UNRWA is fully committed, with the support of donors & host countries, to implement the recommendations of the Colonna report. This will further reinforce the principle of neutrality in a deeply polarized environment."

His comments came hours after UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy's announcement to parliament on Friday.