The United Nations Office at Geneva
Multimedia Newsroom
Edited News , Press Conferences
UNRWA Press conference with Mr. Philippe Lazzarini - 14 December 2023
STORYLINE
“This is a make-or-break moment for all of us and our shared humanity,” UNRWA Commissioner-General Lazzarini
Returning from his third visit to Gaza since the war started, the head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, Philippe Lazzarini, said on Thursday that “every time I see more misery, grief and sadness”.
Briefing journalists in Geneva 69 days since the Israeli bombardment began in response to the 7 October Hamas terror attacks in southern Israel, Mr. Lazzarini, UNRWA Commissioner-General, said that in in southern Rafah governorate, “basically, the lucky ones are those who have a place inside our premises and especially now that winter has just started. But the others have absolutely nowhere to go, they live in the open, they live in the cold, in the mud and under the rain. Everywhere you look is congested with makeshift shelters, everywhere you go people are desperate, hungry and are terrified.”
From the sidelines of the Global Refugee Forum in Geneva, Mr. Lazzarini explained that he saw people stopping aid trucks, offloading food and eating it immediately.
“This has nothing to do with aid diversion, this is something which has to do with a total despair the people are expressing in the Gaza Strip,” he said. “Hunger is something people in Gaza have never ever known before. But hunger has now emerged over the last few weeks and we meet more and more people who haven’t eaten for one, two or three days.”
With more than one million people looking for shelter there, Mr. Lazzarini said that UNRWA facilities are massively overcrowded.
“What continues to shock me is the ever-increasing level of dehumanization, the lack of empathy and humanity, the fact that people can laugh, cheer and mock and any type of wrongdoing that we observe in this war when in fact, what is happening in Gaza, should outrage anyone, should make us all rethink our values. Think, this is also a make-or-break moment for all of us and for our shared humanity,” he said, in reference to inflammatory social media posts.
Urging the media to help, Mr. Lazzarini said that he was “horrified at the smear campaign that targets Palestinians and those who provide aid to them. And on that, I am asking you to help us to push back against misinformation and inaccuracies...Fact-checking is absolutely key if we want accurate information.”
Mr. Lazzarini reiterated his call for the opening of the Kerem Shalom crossing which handled the daily passage of hundreds of commercial trucks before it was shut on 7 October.
“We are confronted with an unprecedented war, […] a war of all possible superlatives, in terms of destruction, in terms of the number of people killed, in terms of needs, in terms of displacement, and more than ever, countries with a human tradition should continue to express their solidarity, and today the main agency in the Gaza Strip is UNRWA.” He reminded that should UNRWA collapse, “the entire humanitarian system in the Gaza Strip would collapse.”
Mr. Lazzarini concluded his briefing by saying that “in suffering there’s absolutely no competition and I believe that ultimately in this war there will be no winner.” He added that “the longer this war goes on, the largest loss, but beyond that, the deeper the grief. […] There is absolutely no alternative to a proper, genuine political process to end once for all the longest lasting unresolved conflict. 75 years without a solution.”
-ends-
STORY: Gaza situation update – UNRWA
TRT: 04:07”
SOURCE: UNTV CH
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 14 December 2023 - GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
SHOTLIST
- Exterior wide shot: Global Refugee Forum at Palexpo in Geneva
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) – Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA Commissioner-General: ““Basically, the lucky ones are those who have a place inside our premises and especially now that winter has just started. But the others have absolutely nowhere to go, they live in the open, they live in the cold, in the mud and under the rain. Everywhere you look is congested with makeshift shelters, everywhere you go people are desperate, hungry and are terrified.”
- Cutaway: Wide shot, press briefing held at the Global Refugee Forum in Geneva
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) - Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA Commissioner-General: ““This has nothing to do with aid diversion, this is something which has to do with a total despair the people are expressing in the Gaza Strip. Hunger is something people in Gaza have never ever known before. But hunger has now emerged over the last few weeks and we meet more and more people who haven’t eaten for one, two or three days.”
- Cutaway: Wide shot, press briefing held at the Global Refugee Forum in Geneva
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) – Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA Commissioner-General: ““What continues to shock me is the ever-increasing level of dehumanization, the lack of empathy and humanity, the fact that people can laugh, cheer and mock and any type of wrongdoing that we observe in this war when in fact, what is happening in Gaza should outrage anyone, should make us all rethink our values. Think, this is also a make-or-break moment for all of us and for our shared humanity”.
- Cutaway: Medium shot, press briefing held at the Global Refugee Forum in Geneva
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) - Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA Commissioner-General: ““I am horrified at the smear campaign that targets Palestinians and those who provide aid to them. And on that, I am asking you to help us to push back against misinformation and inaccuracies. I know that some of you are constantly doing fact checking. But fact-checking is absolutely key if we want accurate information.
- Cutaway: Medium shot, press briefing held at the Global Refugee Forum in Geneva
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) - Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA Commissioner-General: ““In suffering there’s absolutely no competition and I believe that ultimately in this war there will be no winner. The longer this war goes on, the largest loss, but beyond that, the deeper the grief. So, I think like many of my colleagues, that there is absolutely no alternative to a proper, genuine political process to end once for all the longest lasting unresolved conflict. 75 years without a solution.”
- Cutaway: Medium shot, press briefing held at the Global Refugee Forum in Geneva
- SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) - Philippe Lazzarini, UNRWA Commissioner-General: “We are confronted with an unprecedented war, I think it’s a war of all possible superlatives, in terms of destruction, in terms of the number of people killed, in terms of needs, in terms of displacement, and more than ever, countries with a human tradition should continue to express their solidarity , and today the main agency in the Gaza Strip is UNRWA. And would UNRWA collapse, the entire humanitarian system in the Gaza Strip would collapse.”
- Cutaway: Medium shot, press briefing held at the Global Refugee Forum in Geneva
Similar Stories
1
1
1
Edited News | FAO , UNHCR , WHO
Sudan: 14 million displaced; hunger and attacks on health continue as war enters fourth year
As Sudan approaches the third anniversary of a brutal civil war, millions remain displaced and hungry while the health system lies in ruins, with no end to the violence in sight, UN agencies said on Friday.
1
1
1
Press Conferences
Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) in Geneva, chaired the hybrid briefing, which was attended by spokespersons and representatives from the World Food Programme, UN Women, World Health Organization, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and the Food and Agriculture Organization.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO , UNHCR , WFP
Lebanon: People ‘still under the rubble’ after massive strikes as ambulances, hospitals come under threat – UN humanitarians
With Lebanon still reeling from Israel’s devastating airstrikes on 8 April, UN humanitarians reported new fears of attacks on ambulances and looming food shortages in the south of the country on Friday.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | UNHCR , WHO
Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service (UNIS) at Geneva, chaired a hybrid press briefing, which was attended by spokespersons and representatives of the World Health Organization and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNHCR , WHO
Lebanon: disease risks on the rise as displacement surges
With displacement in Lebanon past the one million mark, UN humanitarians warned on Tuesday about the spread of infectious diseases in shelters and surging mental health needs.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNIFIL
UN peacekeepers are supporting civilians who’ve chosen to stay in the south amid deadly dangers from Israel-Hezbollah clashes, UNIFIL spokesperson Kandace Ardiel tells us.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNHCR , WFP
Middle East war fallout: Hundreds of thousands flee Lebanon to Syria; vital food aid blocked – UN agencies
The trauma of mass displacement and humanitarian supply chain disruptions throughout the world are among the devastating impacts of the war raging in the Middle East, UN humanitarians warned on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | IOM , UNHCR , UNOG , WFP
Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired a hybrid press briefing, which was attended by the spokespersons and representatives of the United Nations Refugee Agency, the World Food Programme, and the International Organization for Migration.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | UNRWA
End-of-tenure press briefing by the outgoing UNRWA Commissioner-General, Philippe Lazzarini
1
1
1
Edited News | UNRWA
Bitterness, sadness and pride for UNRWA staff, says departing chief
Asking the softly spoken, veteran humanitarian worker Philippe Lazzarini how he feels as he comes to the end of his second term as the head of the UN agency for Palestinians, UNRWA, is perhaps an unfair question.
1
1
1
Edited News | IFRC , UN WOMEN , UNHCR , UNICEF , WHO
Middle East war causes civilian terror and disrupts aid, but some relief efforts resume.
1
1
1
Press Conferences | UNICEF , UN WOMEN , UNHCR , IFRC , IOM , WHO
Alessandra Vellucci, Director of the United Nations Information Service in Geneva, chaired a hybrid press briefing, which was attended by the spokespersons and representatives of the United Nations Refugee Agency, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the World Health Organization, the International Organization for Migration, UN Women, and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.