Australia Follows Canada, Sweden to Resume Funding to UN Agency in Gaza

The opposition has opposed the move to restore $6 million of funding to the troubled UNRWA.

A camp sheltering displaced Palestinians erected in a school run by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on March 13, 2024. Mohammed Med Abed/AFP via Getty Images

The Australian government will reinstate funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in Gaza.

It follows moves by Canada and Sweden to lift their pause on funding to the U.N. agency, yet the United States has continued its halt.

Australia had paused funding to the U.N. relief agency in February after allegations emerged workers were involved in the Hamas attack on Israel.

U.S. Department of State state spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters on March 12, “We have to plan for the fact that Congress may make that pause permanent.”

Yet on March 15, Australia’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong announced it would restore $6 million of emergency funding to the UNRWA along with extra funding for Gaza.

The government will also provide an extra $4 million to UNICEF for urgent services, and $2 million to the new mechanism of the U.N. senior humanitarian and reconstruction coordinator for Gaza.

Government Explains Decision to Resume Funding

In a release on March 15, the Australian government explained it originally paused $6 million in funding after “serious allegations were made.”

These allegations resulted in the U.N. dismissing staff that were alleged to have been involved in the Hamas terrorist attacks.

Australia’s Foreign Minister Wong, Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles, and International Development Minister Pat Conroy explained the nature of the allegations warranted an “immediate and appropriate response” at the time.

However, the federal government now says it has worked with a group of donor countries and the UNRWA to ensure the integrity of their operations and ensure aid flows to Gazans “in desperate need.”

“Australia and our partners welcome the decisive actions from UNRWA and the U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres to strengthen the integrity of operations,” the ministers said.

“This includes the U.N. Office of Internal Oversight Services’ investigation of the allegations, and the independent review into UNRWA and the principle of neutrality, led by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna.”

Further, the government said it welcomes the U.N. agency’s “immediate work” to deliver an action plan for donors including Australia.

This plan involves better internal controls that will ensure neutrality, including “rigorous requirements of staff,” according to the government.

“We see this an ongoing process of diligence and vigilance,” the government said.

Australia will also support Jordan and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza civilians via airdrops.

“A Royal Australian Air Force C-17A Globemaster will deliver a supply of 140 Australian Defence Force (ADF) aerial delivery parachutes for use in humanitarian assistance airdrops by Jordan and the UAE,” the government said.

Shadow Foreign Minister Opposes Decision

Shadow Foreign Affairs Spokesman Simon Birmingham said the opposition opposed the decision.

“No Australian taxpayer dollars should go to support any organisation whose staff or operations may support, incite, or undertake terrorist actions the likes of which we saw on Oct. 7,” he said in a statement to The Epoch Times.

“So why has the Albanese Labor government made this decision, directly contradicting the approach of the United States who await the outcomes of the investigation into UNRWA and in the interim are pursuing alternate means of delivering more humanitarian assistance?” he added.

Senator Birmingham also said the government had not undertaken the necessary work to ensure stronger accountability of how aid would be used.

“The Coalition supports the other additional assistance and international cooperation announced today that seeks to secure more effective delivery of more assistance to innocent civilians in Gaza facing dire needs.”

On March 12, Liberal Party Senator Dave Sharma, a former ambassador of Australia to Israel, said he was “fundamentally opposed” to restoring funding.

“I think first of all, the U.N’s own office of internal investigation into this has not concluded or made any findings,” Mr. Sharma said on Sky News.

“UNRWA clearly recognises that its employees were complicit in the attack, because it dismissed nine of them ... within hours of receiving this Israeli information. And I don’t see any way that you can guarantee given that Gaza is a war zone, that Hamas will not commandeer any assistance that is provided to UNRWA.”

Mr. Sharma said by all means Australia should be providing more humanitarian assistance, but it should be going through organisations that are “not embedded in Gaza infrastructure.”

Government Points to Canadian, and Swedish Actions

Government ministers highlighted this decision was in line with the moves of Canada, Sweden and the European Union.

They said only the UNRWA has the infrastructure to receive and distribute aid on the scale that is needed in Gaza.

“We urge Israel to recognise its mandate and work transparently to support its integrity. In resuming funding, the government is responding to a humanitarian situation in Gaza which is dire, and only worsening. More than 1.7 million Palestinians have been displaced, most living in crowded and unsanitary conditions,” the statement said.

Deputy Minister Richard Marles said Australia remains “deeply concerned” about the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza.

“We are pleased to support the efforts of Jordan and the United Arab Emirates to provide crucial humanitarian aid to civilians through airdrops,” he said.

Foreign Minister Penny Wong said the Australian government will work with the UNRWA “to ensure integrity and neutrality are beyond reproach.”

The Canadian government announced on March 8 that it would be lifting its temporary pause on funding for the UNRWA.

Minister of International Development Ahmed Hussen said Canada was resuming its funding so that more could be done to respond to the urgent needs of Palestinian civilians.

“Canada will continue to take the allegations against some of UNRWA’s staff extremely seriously and we will remain closely engaged with UNRWA and the U.N. to pursue accountability and reforms,” he said.

Sweden announced it would restore funding and provide the UNRWA with $20 million to help the agency regain its “financial footing.”

Both decisions have been labelled a “serious mistake” by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs.