Former French diplomat to lead UNRWA probe amid allegations of Hamas ties
Kyiv • UNN
Former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna will lead an independent review of the UN Refugee Agency following Israeli accusations that some staff members were involved in a Hamas attack.
Former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna will lead an independent review of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees after Israel accused at least 12 of its employees of being involved in the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel, UNN reports citing The Guardian.
Details
Catherine Colonna, a former French ambassador to the UK and a highly experienced diplomat, will be assisting in the investigation with three Scandinavian development think tanks: The Raoul Wallenberg Institute in Sweden, the Christian Michelsens Institute in Norway, and the Danish Institute for Human Rights.
The interim report will be published at the end of March 2024, and the final report by the end of April 2024.
The commission's broad remit focuses on how the organization maintained its neutrality, how it recruited staff, and how it responded to allegations of misconduct.
Recall
Last month, following Israel's accusations, the UN decided to conduct an inspection of UNRWA . In addition, major donors, including the United States and the United Kingdom, have turned their backs on UNRWA amid the accusations.
As a result, the UN agency is facing a significant funding shortfall in the face of the growing humanitarian emergency in Gaza. On Monday, Spain said it would provide an additional 3.5 million euros in aid.
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