ISTANBUL

As Philippe Lazzarini is concluding his six-year tenure leading the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), a private staff association honored his service on Tuesday during the most turbulent period in the organization's history.

“Philippe Lazzarini has shown what principled leadership at the United Nations looks like,” said Andrew Gilmour, chair of United Staff for Gaza and former UN assistant secretary-general for human rights.

Gilmour said the commissioner-general navigated the “worst crisis ever endured by a UN agency” while facing "unbearable pressures."

United Staff for Gaza emphasized that Lazzarini led the agency as Israel “sought to dismantle it” through operational obstructions and the destruction of facilities. More than 390 UNRWA personnel have been killed in the Gaza Strip since the conflict with Israel intensified, with many others facing arbitrary detention.

Despite a “severe lack of meaningful support” from the international community, the agency continued to fulfill its mandate to serve Palestine refugees, said the group. It criticized global powers for offering rhetorical applause while failing to provide necessary political and financial backing.

The leadership change occurs as UNRWA faces an existential threat following an Israeli ban on its operations in January 2025. In early 2026, Israeli forces raided the agency's headquarters in the occupied East Jerusalem, an action that followed a 2024 decision by the US to pause funding.

United Staff for Gaza warned that allowing the agency to collapse would have “dire ramifications” for the stability of the Middle East and the international order. They appealed to member states to equip the organization with the resources required to protect the rights of millions of refugees.

Established in 1949 by a UN General Assembly resolution, UNRWA is mandated to provide assistance and protection to Palestinian refugees across five areas of operation: Jordan, Syria, Lebanon, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.