Date: 26/11/2025
During a symposium organized by the Palestinian–Swedish Parliamentary Friendship Group in the Swedish Parliament, in cooperation with the Embassy of the State of Palestine
Since 2006, Sweden has provided more than USD 1.023 billion to UNRWA.
The collapse of UNRWA “will lead to humanitarian and security repercussions in the region, and to new waves of migration toward Europe.”
Swedish parties in the Swedish Parliament reject their government’s decision to halt UNRWA funding.
Supporting UNRWA is an investment in peace and human dignity, for a more stable future for Palestinian refugees.
================================================================================
Member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization and Head of the Refugee Affairs Department, Dr. Ahmad Abu Huli, called on the Swedish government to reconsider its decision to halt funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), warning of its serious consequences on the living conditions of Palestinian refugees and on the mandate of the Agency in its five areas of operation.
Speaking at a symposium held today by the Palestinian–Swedish Parliamentary Friendship Group in the Swedish Parliament, with the participation of the Ambassador of the State of Palestine to the Kingdom of Sweden, Rola Maayseh, several Swedish parliamentarians, and heads of Arab and foreign diplomatic missions, Dr. Abu Huli stated that Sweden’s suspension of its financial support to UNRWA came as a major shock amid the harsh humanitarian circumstances facing Palestinian refugees, especially in the Gaza Strip.
He pointed out that the Swedish government’s decision, taken last December, contradicts Sweden’s and the European Union’s policies, objectives, and principles regarding security, peace, stability, human rights, and sustainable human development—goals that UNRWA has been working to advance for 76 years through its programs and services to a refugee community that now numbers 6.2 million Palestinians.
Dr. Abu Huli added that the crisis currently facing UNRWA “directly affects millions of Palestinian refugees,” noting that Sweden was the fourth-largest donor to the Agency before the current government halted funding, alongside the United States.
He explained that UNRWA provides education to more than 600,000 students, health care through 142 health centers delivering more than nine million services annually, and humanitarian assistance reaching more than 2.7 million refugees. He stressed that these figures are not mere statistics, but tangible proof of the Agency’s role as the first line of defense for the lives of an entire community, delivered through a staff of 30,000 employees—including **13,000 in Gaza alone—**who work under extremely harsh and dangerous conditions.
He added that “the return of Swedish support to UNRWA means saving it from collapse,” emphasizing that there is no justification for the continued suspension of funding under the pretext of the Israeli ban on UNRWA’s work, especially since Sweden voted only weeks ago at the United Nations in favor of extending the Agency’s mandate for three additional years. He noted that the European Parliament—of which Sweden is a member—recently voted to increase UNRWA’s budget, which makes Sweden’s continued freeze inconsistent with the direction of the EU.
Dr. Abu Huli affirmed that the Kingdom of Sweden has for decades been among the Agency’s largest supporters, having provided more than USD 1.023 billion since 2006, led international efforts to support the Agency through seven joint ministerial conferences with Jordan, and chaired UNRWA’s advisory commission. It was expected that Sweden would maintain this longstanding humanitarian commitment.
He warned that the collapse of UNRWA “would lead to wide-ranging humanitarian and security consequences, and possibly new waves of migration toward Europe,” stressing that the Agency is “a stabilizing factor in the Middle East,” as it provides services to nearly six million refugees across five fields of operation.
He noted that since October 2023, UNRWA “has been subjected to a systematic and comprehensive campaign targeting political, media, and legislative levels, with the primary goal of delegitimizing it and undermining its mandate.” However, this campaign “was met with a firm international stance,” as reflected in global positions.
Dr. Abu Huli continued: the Colonna Report confirmed that the Agency has one of the strongest neutrality systems among humanitarian organizations. This view was reinforced by statements from 17 international organizations, affirming that “UNRWA is the backbone of humanitarian work in Gaza,” followed by the announcement of the Joint Commitments Initiative launched by Jordan, Kuwait, and Slovenia in July 2024 and signed by 123 countries, with Sweden among them. He also noted the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice last October, which confirmed the falsity of Israeli claims that UNRWA violated neutrality principles or that some of its workers participated in the events of October 7, 2023—claims that Israel used to justify politically and financially besieging the Agency and banning its operations as an entry point to ending its role.
He added that the New York Declaration and its annexes, adopted by the UN General Assembly with the support of 142 states, reaffirmed that UNRWA’s role is indispensable. He also referred to the International Court of Justice’s ruling in support of UNRWA, and the U.S. President’s plan to cease hostilities, which does not exclude UNRWA from humanitarian work in Gaza, as stated in paragraph 8 of the plan, which was endorsed by the UN Security Council in its Resolution 2803, dated 17 November 2025.
He explained that supporting UNRWA—especially by a country with Sweden’s political and moral weight—sends a clear message that the two-state solution is still viable, that the world will not yield to policies of fait accompli and brute force, and that international law is not a worthless document. At its core, this support is a defense of the political future of the conflict, the right of future generations to live in dignity and safety, and the principle of justice that must prevail.
Abu Huli noted that UNRWA is facing a critical moment, and its survival is a true test of how serious the international community is in fulfilling its commitments and in protecting humanity from catastrophe—echoing the words of the late Swedish UN Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld, who said: “The United Nations was not created to take mankind to heaven, but to save humanity from hell.”
He emphasized that Sweden’s historic support for UNRWA has saved millions of Palestinian refugees from poverty, homelessness, hunger, and illiteracy, calling on Sweden to reclaim its leadership in protecting humanitarian action and to return to its natural position at the forefront of UNRWA’s supporters. This is not merely a financial decision, he said, but a humanitarian, moral, and historical stance—an investment in peace and human dignity for a more stable future for all.
Dr. Abu Huli thanked the Ambassador of the State of Palestine to the Kingdom of Sweden, Rola Maayseh, the embassy staff, and the Swedish–Palestinian Friendship Committee in the Swedish Parliament for their major efforts in ensuring the success of the dialogue meeting urging the Swedish government to restore its funding to UNRWA and support its mandate.
For his part, Margon Johansson, head of the Foreign Relations Committee in the Swedish Parliament from the Social Democratic Party, criticized the current Swedish government’s decision to cut aid to UNRWA, affirming that several Swedish parties in the Parliament reject their government’s decision to halt funding and continue to work through the Parliament to reverse it.
