UNRWA chief deplores 'short-sighted' calls to dismantle agency

'The impact is not just on the short-term. It not just weakens our collective ability to respond to the humanitarian crisis...,' the UNRWA chief said.

Geneva: The head of the UN Palestinian refugee agency (UNRWA) said on Tuesday that calls to dismantle it were short-sighted and that terminating its mandate weakened the world's ability to response to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza.

"I have talked to the member states about all these calls to have UNRWA dismantled, to be terminated. I have warned about the impact, I have said that these calls are short-sighted," UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini said after a meeting with member states at the United Nations in Geneva.

"The impact is not just on the short-term. It not just weakens our collective ability to respond to the humanitarian crisis..."