Retno Affirms Indonesia's Commitment to Support Palestinian Refugees

Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi held a bilateral meeting with the Commissioner-General of the UNRWA Philippe Lazzarini.

IDXChannel - Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi held a bilateral meeting with the Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) Philippe Lazzarini.

The meeting was held on the sidelines of the High Level Week (HLW) 79th UN General Assembly (UNGA) on Sunday (22/9/2024). The meeting discussed the development of the worsening humanitarian situation in Palestine, as well as Indonesia's humanitarian assistance support through UNRWA.

During the meeting, Retno emphasised Indonesia's support for UNRWA's mandate in handling Palestinian refugees. Not only for refugees, UNRWA's position is also strategic in the post-conflict recovery of Palestine. 

"This morning (22 September), I attended the OIC Foreign Ministers Core Group meeting to encourage the use of the UN General Assembly to mobilise support in efforts to improve the situation in Palestine, including through UNRWA," Retno said, as quoted by the Indonesian Foreign Ministry's website.

As a form of commitment to support, the Indonesian government has increased funding assistance to UNWRA by three times by 2023, and this year, doubled its contribution to reach USD1.2 million. 

In addition, the Indonesian government also continues to encourage innovative funding to strengthen UNRWA, including by exploring cooperation with the Indonesian Zakat Agency (Baznas) for additional aid distribution to UNWRA. Since November 2023, Baznas has distributed around USD3.3 million to the Palestinian people. 

Lazzarini expressed his appreciation to Indonesia for always being at the forefront in defending Palestine. Furthermore, Lazzarini said that UNRWA is currently under financial pressure, with many countries freezing its funding and negative campaigns in the media accusing UNRWA of being a terrorist organisation. 

"To date, more than 250 humanitarian workers, including UNRWA humanitarian staff, have been killed and around 2/3 of UNRWA buildings have been damaged in Gaza," Lazzarini added. (Wahyu Dwi Anggoro)