Response to interpellation 2025/26:10 on the redistribution of unpaid funds to UNRWA
Translated from Swedish by AI; the translation may contain errors. The Swedish text is the original.
Summary AI, written in advance
The debate concerns the redistribution of funds to UNRWA. M argues that the government has channeled support through other actors due to uncertainties regarding UNRWA's operations 1. M argues that it is irresponsible to give money to an organization that does not receive support when other actors receive trucks 2. M emphasizes that Sweden has contributed over 1 billion kronor and that payments are made gradually 1 2. M argues that UN organizations must remain clean from terrorists to earn support 3. V believes that the money is needed now to alleviate the distress 4 5. V claims that UNRWA is a prerequisite for the support to reach out 5. V is critical of Sweden withdrawing support since the organization is considered indispensable 5 6. V emphasizes that the withdrawn funds threaten the children's schooling 5 6. S argues that the government bears responsibility for the economic crisis 7.
Written by AI in advance and may contain errors. The numbers lead to the speech a statement builds on; check against the text below.
Bistånds- och utrikeshandelsministern Benjamin Dousa (M)
Mr. Speaker! Lotta Johnsson Fornarve has asked me why only a fraction of the funds redistributed from UNRWA have been paid out, despite nine months having passed since the decision, and whether the government will reconsider the decision and resume support to UNRWA in light of new information that has emerged. Lotta Johnsson Fornarve has also asked me how support for UNRWA's work in the Middle East, such as education and healthcare for Palestinian refugees, is maintained from the Swedish side if it does not occur via UNRWA, which has the mandate to do this.
The humanitarian situation in Gaza is beyond words. Famine has now been formally declared in all parts of Gaza, and the acute malnutrition among children is increasing at a devastating rate. The development we are seeing is completely unjustifiable. The government wants to see an immediate ceasefire and a lasting end to the hostilities. Hostages must be released, unconditionally and immediately.
The government has repeatedly, in talks with Israel's government, demanded unimpeded humanitarian access in accordance with the obligations that Israel has under international humanitarian law. Civilians, aid workers, and healthcare personnel must be protected and respected. The UN and other humanitarian actors must be allowed to work safely, independently, and impartially in all parts of Gaza.
Pressure on Israel's government must increase further to improve the catastrophic humanitarian situation and ensure respect for international humanitarian law. It is very welcome that the EU Commission and the EU's diplomatic service have presented new and previous proposals that Sweden has championed and called for: a freezing of the trade part of the association agreement between the EU and Israel and sanctions against extremist Israeli ministers who push for an illegal settlement policy and actively oppose a two-state solution. We also continue to be very clear in the demands on Hamas, which must immediately release all hostages, leave power, and be disarmed. The government has called for further EU proposals to put pressure on Hamas. Hamas cannot have a place in a future government of Gaza.
The government has clearly shown its strong commitment to continued humanitarian support for Gaza's severely affected civilian population as well as the region as a whole. Since the start of the war, Sweden has contributed over 1 billion Swedish kronor to meet the acute needs in Gaza. In December, the government decided to double the support that previously went to UNRWA by allocating 800 million kronor to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the region. The distribution of the funds is carried out with regard to the constantly changing situation on the ground and in accordance with our partners' capacity to meet the enormous humanitarian needs in Gaza but also in other regions. The money is therefore distributed gradually during the year.
The government has been clear in its criticism of the laws regarding UNRWA that came into force in January in Israel. In our own contacts, together with other Nordic countries and as part of the EU, we have urged Israel to ensure continued humanitarian access for UNRWA and other UN organizations. In a changing world and context, we need to be able to reassess partners and methods of work in order to design Swedish aid policy in the best possible way. We do this in Gaza but also in other humanitarian disasters. Looking at the overall picture and the uncertainties that characterize UNRWA's operations, the government has chosen to channel the greatly increased support to the region through other actors than UNRWA.
Lotta Johnsson Fornarve (V)
Mr. Speaker! I thank the Minister for the answer to my interpellation.
People are starving to death in Gaza right now. Children, women, and the elderly are particularly hard hit. It is now officially confirmed that there is a famine in Gaza, just as the minister points out. People are being forced to flee Gaza City once again. These are people who have already fled several times, but there is nowhere to flee to. They are being relegated to a small coastal strip that is already overcrowded. Families with children are now forced to crowd together in miserable tents and shelters. Winter is coming soon, and it can become very cold. There is a shortage of everything: tents, toilets, clean water, and so on. The conditions are beyond catastrophic. 500,000 people are still remaining in Gaza, while the Israeli ground offensive continues. They fall asleep every night with the fear that they might not wake up the next morning.
What we are witnessing in Gaza is undoubtedly one of the absolute worst crimes against humanity that the world has witnessed in modern times. Our children and grandchildren will judge us harshly if we do not do our utmost to put an end to the brutal genocide. It is not enough to lean on the EU. Sweden can lead the way. We have done it before. We can do it again and show the way. We could put maximum pressure on Israel by introducing a Swedish arms embargo and Swedish sanctions. It is entirely possible, if the political will exists. It is good that the government listens to us in the opposition and is now demanding trade sanctions in the EU. But it is not enough. We cannot just lean on the EU. We must do more.
In this horrific situation, which a leading UN official has called a hell on earth, Sweden's government chooses to keep the largest part of the support that would have been paid out to Gaza in Swedish accounts. The funds shall be paid out successively, the minister says. But they are needed now. Our tax money does no good in Swedish accounts. They are needed now – and they were needed yesterday – to alleviate the distress in Gaza.
Why have you only paid out a little over a third of the 800 million that you promised would be paid out to Gaza? Nine months have passed. Since the money remains in Swedish accounts, where it is said to do no good at all to alleviate the distress in Gaza, it is obvious that the payments for the famine in Gaza have not functioned as they should. I cannot interpret it in any other way. Why not admit that it went wrong and instead reinstate the support to UNRWA, which is undoubtedly the organization that has the capacity, knowledge, and personnel on the ground to reach out to the Palestinian population and which has the UN mandate?
The government often speaks of the aid being effective. In that case, the government should rethink and give the resources to the organization that has the best possibility of reaching out with the support.
Johan Büser (S)
Mr. Speaker! Sweden has long been one of the most reliable donors to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees, which we also call UNRWA. The support has over the years saved lives and given hope to generations who have been forced to live in exile and in uncertainty. It has been an expression of solidarity and a concrete way to stand up for human dignity.
The government has now for a long time chosen a different path. The support to UNRWA is frozen. Sweden is thus also one of the few EU countries that are withholding their money, despite the fact that the EU's own foreign chief Kaja Kallas has emphasized how crucial the organization is. Other large donors have also resumed their payments after extensive audits and tightened control mechanisms. The money for UNRWA is not just figures in a budget. They are the difference between life and death. When the money is now being withheld, food, medicine, and healthcare are on hold. That is the effect.
We see how children in Gaza are starving. Schools in several countries where UNRWA operates risk closing. The support from the international level lasts until the end of November. This could lead to the healthcare system collapsing, because UNRWA has an important role there. Here, Sweden chooses to accelerate that development and to stand aside.
Mr. Speaker! I returned home from Jordan yesterday. It was a trip together with both the Social Democrats' and the Liberals' aid organizations: Palmecentret and Silc. We were there to discuss Syria's future. But we also made a visit to UNRWA, which operates on the ground in Jordan.
UNRWA is present on the West Bank and in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan. In Jordan alone, 2.5 million Palestinian refugees have been received as a consequence of the extensive and decades-long Israeli occupation that is ongoing. In Jordan, UNRWA currently operates 160 schools and many health centers. We visited two of them and met the student council. I saw with my own eyes children's eyes sparkling with the same dreams as our own children's. Safety, education and a chance in life is what is hoped for.
When you are there, you realize that it is not statistics. It is people just like us. Being able to see oneself in others, Benjamin Dousa, is the most fundamental human impulse. It must guide a humanitarian policy worthy of the name.
Against that background, it becomes even more incomprehensible that the Minister for Development Cooperation refuses to meet UNRWA when its representatives are also in Sweden during this week. They are here in Stockholm today. They are ready to account for their work and answer many of the questions that Minister Dousa himself usually refers to. UNRWA is ready to answer questions on how they still deliver aid both on the West Bank and in Gaza, despite the Minister for Development Cooperation here in the chamber and in other places constantly asserting something else.
I can only conclude that there seems to be political prestige for Minister Dousa and the government when it comes to the issue of UNRWA's funding. Therefore, I now appeal to you, Benjamin Dousa: Do not think of the Social Democrats, do not think of Magdalena Andersson, do not think of Morgan Johansson or Johan Büser, but think of the Palestinian children who are starving right now and the families who have lost everything. Think about seeing yourself in others and that leadership now must be about stepping out of the party-political trenches when people are suffering.
My final question to the Minister is: Why do you refuse to meet UNRWA when they are here in the midst of one of our time's worst humanitarian catastrophes?
FÖRSTE VICE TALMANNEN
I must remind the member that we do not use the form of address "you" in the chamber.
Bistånds- och utrikeshandelsministern Benjamin Dousa (M)
Mr. Speaker! I can assure Member Büser that I do not particularly often in life think about the Social Democrats, Magdalena Andersson or Johan Büser. I have also never refused to meet UNRWA. I have met representatives for UNRWA several times.
I have met UNRWA's head of operations Lazzarini, and I have met other staff members from UNRWA. Just this time when they are in Sweden, no request has come to me, or if it is the case that my department is to meet UNRWA.
The situation in the Middle East is and remains difficult. The humanitarian needs are enormous in several countries in the region. That is why the government for 2025 decided to significantly increase the readiness to pay out additional humanitarian aid during the year by allocating 800 million kronor to the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the region.
In March, a first payment of 300 million kronor was made to the response in Gaza, followed by 30 million kronor in April to Unicef's work with Palestinian refugee children in Jordan. In total, the government has contributed over 1 billion kronor in humanitarian aid to the civilian population in Gaza since the start of the war.
Sweden has previously provided extensive support to countries throughout the region, including Syria and Lebanon. Sweden's humanitarian aid to Syria in 2024 amounted to nearly a quarter of a billion kronor. Since 2016, Sweden has provided resilience support to Syria with the goal of strengthening local resilience among the Syrian population, Syrian refugees, and vulnerable groups in host communities in the neighboring countries Lebanon, Jordan, and Turkey. After the fall of the Assad regime, the government decided on changes to Sweden's aid to Syria. This means that it will now be possible to support public institutions in Syria to contribute to economic recovery and democratic development in the country.
The humanitarian situation in Lebanon also remains difficult. In light of growing needs during 2024, the government could act quickly to increase the humanitarian support to the country, which totaled over 167 million kronor last year. The support went, among other things, to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies' work with emergency medical care, blood banks, and ambulance services.
I also want to emphasize that Sweden is one of the largest donors of core funding to many humanitarian actors operating in the region, such as Unicef and the International Red Cross Movement, which, among other things, work to strengthen access to education and healthcare for the most vulnerable.
The state's resources are limited. We want our tax money and our aid money to do as much good as possible and be able to save as many children's lives as possible. Due to the very unfortunate decisions that Israel has made, UNRWA is not allowed to get any trucks into Gaza. At the same time, we know that World Food Programme, UNFPA, the Red Cross and Unicef among others are getting trucks in.
To then take money from the World Food Programme, UNFPA, Unicef and the Red Cross to instead give the money to an organization that does not receive support is not to take responsibility in the humanitarian crisis that Gaza is currently in.
Lotta Johnsson Fornarve (V)
Mr. Speaker! Thank you, Minister, for further answers!
The fact remains: The majority of the support that was to go to Gaza in the famine currently prevailing is still remaining in Swedish accounts. It is not reasonable. That support should have been paid out a long time ago, and preferably yesterday.
The Minister also says that UNRWA is not receiving any support. That is not true. One might not get the trucks in, but one has everything else. It is UNRWA that has staff on the ground in Gaza, a staff of 12,000. It is UNRWA that ensures children can go to school. It is UNRWA that takes care of the healthcare. It is UNRWA that ensures the Palestinians get a roof over their heads, clean water, sanitation and a lot of other things. It is UNRWA that is the very hub of the operations in Gaza. It is UNRWA that the other organizations working in Gaza are completely dependent on to be able to reach out. It is UNRWA that provides the infrastructure. It is UNRWA that has the knowledge and the possibility to reach out in an effective way. This is confirmed by UNRWA, whom I met yesterday. They told me then that they have full operations in Gaza and that they are in full swing in the West Bank.
So it is not true that UNRWA does not function and is not effective, but it is exactly the opposite: UNRWA is a prerequisite for the aid to reach out.
Israel has done its best to discredit UNRWA. By banning the organization, one tries to get rid of the entire Palestinian refugee problem. Israel has, for example, claimed that there would be links between Hamas and UNRWA, but this has been refuted in several independent serious investigations from, among others, the Swedish Raoul Wallenberg Institute. Israel has no right to ban UNRWA and has also not succeeded in stopping the organization's activities. It is important that Sweden shows that we stand up for international law and do not listen to Israel's slander.
We must also not forget the situation in the West Bank, which is becoming increasingly serious with each passing day. 40,000 Palestinian civilians have been displaced from their homes in the West Bank. Aggressive settlers harass, persecute, and murder Palestinians. The number of attacks has increased rapidly. Several schools have been attacked and forced to close.
Despite this, UNRWA continues to operate in the West Bank. The delegation we met yesterday told us that 80 percent of the operations are in full swing and functioning. UNRWA runs, among other things, 86 schools and a large number of health clinics. They work on providing people with shelter and clean water. There is no other organization that can perform this work and that can take over if UNRWA were to disappear.
What does the minister say to all those thousands of children who today attend UNRWA's schools if the schools are forced to close? Schooling is very important for these children. They need to have something to do and, for a few hours, escape thinking about war and be able to feel a little better.
Despite several other countries, including Spain and the United Kingdom, having increased support to UNRWA, the withdrawn American and Swedish support has dug a large hole in the organization's budget which could mean that they are forced to close schools and health centers.
What does the minister say, above all to those children who may be left without schooling in the near future when the money does not suffice?
Sweden has been one of the largest donors to UNRWA. When we suddenly stop funding UNRWA, it does not only affect Gaza and the West Bank, but also Palestinian refugees in neighboring countries such as Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.
Johan Büser (S)
Mr. Speaker! I thank the Minister for the answer, but unfortunately, we still receive no information that can change the growing humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza and UNRWA's acute economic crisis.
Let us return to Jordan. UNRWA's team stated on-site that they have funding that lasts until November. After that, among other things, the health center and the school that I visited risk being shut down. UNRWA is not just any organization; it is a recognized UN agency that Sweden chooses not to fund.
In Jordan, I met, as I said, children who dream of a future in the Middle East beyond poverty and violence. UNRWA's team told how absolutely crucial the support from UNRWA is for these people, for the schools, for healthcare, and even to get food on the table.
UNRWA told how serious their financial situation is, partly because Sweden has withdrawn its support. Sweden's government bears a very great responsibility for this development. When Sweden withholds its money, it hits UNRWA's operations directly – the operations that are ongoing in Gaza, on the West Bank, and in Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan.
This should not be a question of prestige or party politics. It should be a question of children's lives, children's development and children's future.
International audits have already been conducted. The control mechanisms have been strengthened. The EU and other major donors have resumed their payments. Sweden remains – alone and paralyzed. Together with Netanyahu and Trump, we now stand in the corner that does not want to see UNRWA's activities and does not want to finance UNRWA.
I repeat my question to Minister Benjamin Dousa: Should the Minister not have taken the time to take the opportunity to meet UNRWA when they are here in Stockholm this week?
Bistånds- och utrikeshandelsministern Benjamin Dousa (M)
Mr. Speaker! Even the World Food Programme, Unicef and UNFPA have acute funding needs. USA accounted for 40 percent of the humanitarian aid in the world. To then take money from those types of organizations, which receive support for Gaza, which deliver, which have logistics, which have capacity and which have employees on the ground in Gaza and which also receive trucks, is not to take responsibility.
Please show me the countries that, like Sweden and the Swedish government, have doubled the support to Gaza! I have met UNRWA several times, and I can meet them several more times. I do not fear dialogue and conversation, nor do I fear criticism, for that matter. But just this time, no request came from UNRWA to either myself or the Foreign Minister.
The Government has been clear in its demand that Israel's government immediately ensure unimpeded, safe, and sustained humanitarian access and allow humanitarian actors to work independently and impartially to save lives and reduce human suffering. We continue to emphasize that civilians, aid workers, and healthcare personnel must be protected and respected.
The Government has also on repeated occasions expressed very strong concern over the system outside the UN's mandate, GHF, and pointed out that it entails unacceptable security risks for both aid workers and civilians. Not least, it also affects access to aid for the most vulnerable, including women, children and the sick.
The government safeguards the ability of the UN and international actors to operate. This does not only concern the organizations as such, but it is about ensuring that they can obtain visas and get the support all the way out into the field in Gaza. To some of these actors, we provide financial support, and to others, we do not.
Lotta Johnsson Fornarve (V)
Mr. Speaker! I thank the Minister for further answers.
The UN organizations that the Minister refers to say themselves that UNRWA is indispensable in order to be able to deliver the support. They say that UNRWA is the very hub of the aid work. Listen to the collective expertise, which says that UNRWA is the organization that has the best opportunities to reach the hard-hit Palestinian people! Listen to your own expert agency Sida, which says that there is no other humanitarian actor that has the possibility to save lives and alleviate distress to the extent that UNRWA does! No organization can fill the vacuum that would arise after UNRWA.
UNRWA is also extremely important in the work for a peace process and a two-state solution. Now, Sweden is contributing to pulling the rug out from under the organization's important work for the Palestinian people.
Use our Swedish aid wisely and effectively! Provide support to the organization that is the very hub of aid work in Gaza, on the West Bank, and in the region! In Gaza, there is UNRWA, which as stated is on site with 12,000 employees; we had this confirmed yesterday when we met the delegation.
UNRWA has health centers open and carries out sanitation in the refugee camps to prevent diseases. They provide water distribution, education for the children and other things. Despite the war and the blockade, UNRWA continues to offer, for example, online education to over 200,000 children in Gaza. It is also about psychosocial support. There is no other organization that comes close to UNRWA's capacity.
Bistånds- och utrikeshandelsministern Benjamin Dousa (M)
Mr. Speaker! Sweden is one of the largest humanitarian donors globally. For 2024, Swedish humanitarian aid amounted to 9.6 billion kronor, which made Sweden the fifth largest donor in the world last year. Sweden is and remains also one of the most generous donors of development aid.
Mr. Speaker, the Swedish people are not an ATM for any UN organization. UN organizations that deliver, that receive support and that effectively take responsibility for our money, we can imagine continuing to support and increasing the support to. UN organizations that do not deliver and that do not keep clean from extremists, Islamists, and in the worst case terrorists cannot expect Swedish support.
Swedish aid money is not some kind of subscription service that one can just receive automatically every year. One must earn its support from Swedish tax money.
The Swedish government stands by its commitment to continued humanitarian support to Gaza and the region at large, not least the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. At the same time, Sweden continues to provide important long-term support, for example within the health sector, through our development cooperation.
Source: The Swedish Parliament. The speeches come from the open data of the Riksdag, translated into English by AI, which may contain errors.