Foreign Minister Winston Peters says Wellington wants assurance its money is used only for legitimate purposes, as critics renew allegations about the UN agency’s staff, schools and safeguards.

WELLINGTON — New Zealand has suspended its funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), according to UN Watch, which described the move as joining the United States, Sweden and Finland. The decision comes amid continuing allegations about staff links to Hamas and concerns about the agency’s oversight and neutrality.

Peters said the government wants firm assurance that taxpayer money is used only for legitimate purposes and is not diverted toward terrorist activity. He said New Zealand is “not financing cases where they actually engage with terrorists,” and added that it did not take much to see that the money was not going to a legitimate purpose.

New Zealand’s multi-year core funding arrangement with UNRWA has already expired. Its most recent confirmed annual contribution was roughly NZ$1 million in unearmarked core support, part of about NZ$28 million provided since 2004, which the New Zealand foreign ministry says combined core funding with support to emergency appeals.

Officials indicated that any future payment would require a clear demonstration that the agency meets basic standards of neutrality and accountability. New Zealand is expected to keep channeling separate humanitarian assistance through other routes, and further contributions to UNRWA are off the table for now.

• January 2024After Israeli allegations about staff involvement in the October 7 attack, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon says New Zealand will not make further UNRWA contributions until Foreign Minister Peters approves.
• June 2024Peters announces that New Zealand will resume its annual NZ$1 million funding to UNRWA, according to published accounts.
• TodayNew Zealand’s foreign ministry says it contributed NZ$1 million in 2023/24 and that future support depends on UNRWA’s performance and adherence to UN values such as neutrality. The ministry’s website also states New Zealand did not pause or suspend funding in 2024, which differs from the prime minister’s statement at the time.

Sources: UN Watch report and statements attributed to Foreign Minister Winston Peters; New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs; AFP and Times of Israel (January 2024); RNZ and Newstalk ZB; UN human rights experts’ statement (May 2024). This page is an FFN news summary and is not a reproduction of any single source.