TransparencyOversight & ethics enforcementDiscrimination & civil rights

Independent UN review found UNRWA staff broke neutrality rules and a politicized union pressured management, but said Israel had not provided evidence for its claims about staff

Confidence: Confirmed · 3 sourcesUnited Nations · Oct 12, 2026

Subject of this story

United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)

Also named

Oversight

Catherine Colonna, Former French Foreign Minister; head of the UN independent review of UNRWA neutrality

What happened

In April 2024 the Independent Review Group commissioned by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and chaired by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna published its final report on UNRWA's neutrality mechanisms, supported by the Raoul Wallenberg Institute, the Chr. Michelsen Institute and the Danish Institute for Human Rights. It found UNRWA has more developed neutrality safeguards than comparable agencies but identified gaps: staff publicly taking political sides, some host-country textbooks of concern (3.85% of pages in the 2022-2023 Palestinian Authority textbook review), and a politicized staff union that caused operational disruption and pressured management. It also found Israel had raised no concerns about UNRWA's vetting from 2011 until January 2024 and, at the time of the report, had 'yet to provide supporting evidence' for its claim that a significant number of UNRWA staff belong to terrorist organizations. The report made about 50 recommendations. This describes the review's findings as of April 2024, not later investigations.

Sources (3)

UNRWA (official report page)Final Report of the Independent Review of Mechanisms and Procedures to Ensure Adherence by UNRWA to the Humanitarian Principle of Neutrality, 20 April 2024 -- commissioned by the UN Secretary-General and led by Catherine Colonna.

Voice of AmericaColonna: 'There is always room for improvement and some issues related to neutrality persist; this is why this mission was created.' The 2022-2023 Palestinian Authority textbook review found 3.85% of all pages contained issues of concern.

Al JazeeraIsraeli authorities have to date not provided any supporting evidence nor responded to letters from UNRWA in March, and again in April, requesting the names and supporting evidence that would enable UNRWA to open an investigation.

Response

United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA)

Statement given

Contacted and responded — exact wording not on record.

What happened next (0)

No outcome recorded yet.

I saw an update

Take action →