Luxembourg Reaffirms Support for UNRWA During Commissioner-General's Visit

On Friday 6 February 2026, Philippe Lazzarini, Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), paid a working visit to Luxembourg.

According to Luxembourg's Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Defence, Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade, the meeting between Philippe Lazzarini and Xavier Bettel, Luxembourg's Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade and Minister for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs, provided an opportunity to discuss the current situation of UNRWA and the support provided by Luxembourg to the agency.

During the meeting, Minister Bettel thanked the Commissioner-General for his work and that of his teams, carried out under particularly difficult conditions. He reiterated that UNRWA remains vital for millions of Palestinian refugees and for regional stability, including that of Israel. He also emphasised that Luxembourg has maintained its support for the UN agency, even when there was pressure to withdraw it.

Moreover, Minister Bettel referred to the Colonna report, which strengthened confidence in UNRWA by confirming the agency's neutrality and its commitment to implementing reforms, even in very challenging circumstances. An implementation team has also been established to support the application of its recommendations.

Regarding the attacks against UNRWA, Minister Bettel stressed that the demolition of the agency's headquarters in East Jerusalem constitutes a serious violation of international law and called on the Israeli authorities to fully respect international law.

During his visit to Luxembourg, the UNRWA Commissioner-General also met with Grand Duke Guillaume and participated in a meeting of the Chamber of Deputies' Committee on Foreign and European Affairs.