Sweden has donated a total of 451 million kronor to the UN's aid organization for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa) through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Sida over the past year. But now, the so-called core support to the organization is being discontinued.
We want as much as possible of Swedish support to reach its destination, and we're not entirely sure that it will do so if we channel the funds through Unrwa, says Benjamin Dousa.
Unrwa in a crisis of confidence
Israel recently chose to completely sever ties with Unrwa, making it more difficult to get aid into Gaza. But there are also political reasons behind the decision.
It's clear that it's a comprehensive assessment, says Dousa.
Unrwa is in a crisis of confidence right now, having received criticism for decades for lacking neutrality. Everything from having anti-Semitic textbooks to Unrwa employees participating in Hamas terrorist attacks a year ago.
Instead of Unrwa, the funds will now be redistributed to other actors in Gaza, such as the UN's World Food Programme (Wfp), the UN Children's Fund Unicef, and the UN Population Fund (Unfpa).
"Catastrophic decision"
The aid organization Save the Children welcomes the government's intention to increase support to other international organizations, but emphasizes Unrwa's importance as the largest humanitarian actor in Gaza.
"If Unrwa's ability to help the population deteriorates or is completely stopped, more children will suffer and die, and it will also become more difficult for us and other humanitarian organizations to reach those in need with the emergency aid required to those living in an unimaginable catastrophe", writes Cecilia Chatterjee-Martinsen, international manager, in a comment.
The decision to discontinue Unrwa support also sparks criticism from the Social Democrats' foreign policy spokesperson Morgan Johansson, who calls it "catastrophic":
"The conditions in Gaza are already terrible, and it's only Unrwa that has the infrastructure needed to distribute supplies in the volumes required. Now, all of Gaza is heading towards a famine catastrophe", he writes in a post on the platform X.
