The future of UNWRA and Palestinian refugees

Palestinians are the only national group to have their own refugee category and entire UN agency devoted to assisting them in the form of the UN Refugee and Works Agency (UNRWA), which provides vital humanitarian aid and virtually all social and educational services for Palestinian refugees in the occupied territories. Based on unsubstantiated claims that UNRWA staff were involved in the Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7th 2023, a number of donor states froze their funding to UNRWA. There are strong calls, led by Israel, to dismantle UNRWA entirely. By looking at the history and politics of UNRWA, this talk addresses the role UNRWA plays for Palestinians refugees, why it is under such intense fire now, and what consequences the dismantling of UNRWA may have for Palestinian refugees.

This talk is part of Refugee Festival Scotland, an arts and community festival which takes place every year in the lead up to World Refugee Day, on 20th June. Each event helps to shine a light on the cultural richness and diversity of our communities. It is a celebration of the food and drink, music and poetry, art, dance, language and ideas that people bring with them when they settle in Scotland.

The future of UNWRA and Palestinian refugees - Refugee Festival Scotland

Our speaker is Admir Skodo, the Founder of Broader Migration Consulting. He has over 10 years of experience in the migration field with a special interest in the rights of refugees worldwide. Broader Migration Consulting

The event is organised by the Glasgow Refugee Asylum and Migration Network (GRAMNet). University of Glasgow - Research - Research units A-Z - Glasgow Refugee, Asylum and Migration Network

The event is taking place in the Adam Smith Building at 42 Bute Gardens in room 718.

Image credit: Sign of the area office of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) in Tyre/Sour, Southern Lebanon. Photo: Roman Deckert.

Host or Publisher College of Social Sciences, University of Glasgow