I 

118TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. R. 9649 

To restore funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for 

Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

SEPTEMBER 18, 2024 

Mr. CARSON (for himself, Ms. JAYAPAL, Ms. SCHAKOWSKY, Ms. ADAMS, Ms. 

BALINT, Ms. BARRAGA ́N, Mr. BEYER, Ms. BONAMICI, Mr. BOWMAN, Ms. 

BUSH, Mr. CA ́RDENAS, Mr. CASAR, Mr. CASTRO of Texas, Ms. CHU, Mr. 

CLEAVER, Mr. COURTNEY, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois, Ms. DEAN of Pennsylvania, Ms. DEGETTE, Ms. DELAURO, Mr. DESAULNIER, Mrs. DINGELL, 

Mr. DOGGETT, Ms. ESCOBAR, Mr. EVANS, Mrs. FOUSHEE, Mr. FROST, 

Mr. GARAMENDI, Mr. GARCI ́A of Illinois, Mr. GREEN of Texas, Mr. GRIJALVA, Mrs. HAYES, Mr. HUFFMAN, Mr. JACKSON of Illinois, Ms. JACOBS, Mr. JOHNSON of Georgia, Mr. KHANNA, Mr. KILDEE, Ms. LEE of 

California, Ms. LEE of Pennsylvania, Ms. LEGER FERNANDEZ, Ms. LOFGREN, Mr. LYNCH, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. MFUME, Ms. 

MOORE of Wisconsin, Ms. NORTON, Ms. OCASIO-CORTEZ, Ms. OMAR, Ms. 

PINGREE, Mr. POCAN, Ms. PRESSLEY, Mrs. RAMIREZ, Mr. RASKIN, Ms. 

SA ́NCHEZ, Ms. STANSBURY, Ms. TLAIB, Ms. TOKUDA, Mr. TONKO, Ms. 

VELA ́ZQUEZ, Ms. WATERS, and Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN) introduced the 

following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

A BILL 

To restore funding for the United Nations Relief and Works 

Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 


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1 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

2 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘UNRWA Funding 

3 Emergency Restoration Act of 2024’’. 

4 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

5 Congress finds the following: 

6 (1) The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has 

7 reached a catastrophic emergency level, with two 

8 million Palestinian civilians suffering daily due to es9 calating conflict and deprivation. 

10 (2) The Integrated Food Security Phase Classi11 fication (IPC) has warned of imminent famine in 

12 northern Gaza if humanitarian assistance, including 

13 food, water, and medicine, are not immediately pro14 vided to Palestinian civilians. Hostilities hindering 

15 the delivery of aid in southern Gaza threaten to cre16 ate a similar situation. United States Agency for 

17 International Development Director Samantha 

18 Power testified that famine is currently underway in 

19 parts of Gaza. 

20 (3) The United Nations Relief and Works 

21 Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East 

22 (UNRWA) has since 1949 played a vital and central 

23 role in providing shelter, education, healthcare, and 

24 financial assistance to millions of Palestinians living 

25 in vulnerable refugee communities across Gaza, the 

26 West Bank, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan. 


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1 (4) UNRWA’s aid operations are essential to 

2 meeting the humanitarian needs of Palestinian civil3 ians in Gaza and beyond. U.S. United Nations Al4 ternative Representative for Special Political Affairs 

5 Robert Wood expressed to the United Nations Secu6 rity Council that UNRWA is critical to averting a 

7 famine in Gaza, stating ‘‘Other United Nations 

8 agencies and humanitarian organizations have reiter9 ated they are not equipped to replace UNRWA, as 

10 UNRWA performs essential government-like func11 tions their organizations do not have the capacity or 

12 structure to deliver.’’. 

13 (5) UNRWA remains the primary distributor of 

14 aid in Gaza and is essential to accommodating any 

15 humanitarian aid surge to the besieged population. 

16 (6) Following allegations of direct involvement 

17 by individual UNRWA employees in the devastating 

18 terrorist attacks of October 7, 2023, UNRWA Com19 missioner-General Lazzarini acted swiftly and deci20 sively, fully cooperating with Israeli authorities, pub21 licly disclosing the allegations, and immediately ter22 minating all the employees involved. 

23 (7) United Nations Secretary-General Guterres 

24 has taken additional corrective steps, including by 

25 completing an investigation into the allegations by 


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1 the United Nation’s highest oversight body, the Of2 fice of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS). 

3 (8) In April 2024, an independent, outside re4 view concluded that UNRWA has established a sig5 nificant number of mechanisms and procedures to 

6 ensure compliance with humanitarian principles with 

7 an emphasis on the principle of neutrality. This re8 view included recommendations for steps to 

9 strengthen neutrality policies, all of which UNRWA 

10 immediately agreed to implement. 

11 (9) Almost all parties, including the European 

12 Union, United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, Japan, 

13 France, Switzerland, Canada, The Netherlands, 

14 Australia, Italy, Austria, Finland, Iceland, Romania, 

15 and Estonia have already restored funding to 

16 UNRWA following these strong actions taken by the 

17 United Nations and the commitments made by 

18 UNRWA toward complete accountability and reform. 

19 (10) Ireland, Portugal, Spain, Belgium have 

20 since provided resources to UNRWA above their 

21 original commitments. 

22 (11) The United States has historically been 

23 the largest funder of UNRWA, and plays a pivotal 

24 role in supporting the agency’s critical mission. 


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1 (12) Properly vetted funding for UNRWA re2 mains in the comprehensive strategic interests of the 

3 United States, and its allies. 

4 SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY. 

5 Congress— 

6 (1) recognizes that preventing further erosion 

7 of civilian conditions in Gaza remains in the stra8 tegic and moral interests of the United States; 

9 (2) supports UNRWA’s unique and indispen10 sable contribution to immediately addressing urgent 

11 humanitarian needs in Gaza, especially in mitigating 

12 and stopping the spread of famine; 

13 (3) urges the Government of Israel to assist the 

14 United Nations Office of Internal Oversight Services 

15 (OIOS) investigation team in its critical work; 

16 (4) urges the Administration— 

17 (A) to join United States allies in restoring 

18 funding to UNRWA given the responsible ac19 tions taken by the United Nations and 

20 UNRWA as well as the commitments made by 

21 UNRWA toward additional accountability, 

22 transparency, and reform; and 

23 (B) to ensure continued funding to 

24 UNRWA is assessed based on UNRWA’s ongo25 ing execution of the recommendations of the 


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1 independent outside review led by former 

2 French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna; 

3 (5) recognizes implementation of some of the 

4 independent outside review recommendations will re5 quire United Nations member state cooperation, in6 cluding additional funding, and urges the United 

7 States and Israel to assist UNRWA in its implemen8 tation efforts; and 

9 (6) supports appropriating critical funds to 

10 UNRWA for fiscal year 2025. 

11 SEC. 4. RESTORATION OF FUNDING FOR UNRWA. 

12 (a) IN GENERAL.—Effective on the date of the enact13 ment of this Act— 

14 (1) title III of division G of the Further Con15 solidated Appropriations Act, 2024 (Public Law 

16 118–47) is hereby repealed; 

17 (2) section 308 of the Israel Security Supple18 mental Appropriations Act, 2024 (division A of Pub19 lic Law 118–50) is hereby repealed; and 

20 (3) the Secretary of State shall, notwith21 standing any other provision of law and as soon as 

22 practicable— 

23 (A) rescind the temporary pause in fund24 ing for UNRWA as described in the press stateVerDate Sep 11 2014 22:35 Sep 30, 2024 Jkt 049200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H9649.IH H9649

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1 ment entitled ‘‘Statement on UNRWA Allega2 tions’’ issued on January 26, 2024; and 

3 (B) resume the provision of funding to 

4 UNRWA under current authorities of the De5 partment of State. 

6 (b) REPORTS.—Not later than 90 days after the date 

7 of the enactment of this Act, and quarterly thereafter 

8 through December 31, 2027, the Secretary of State shall 

9 submit to the appropriate congressional committees of ju10 risdiction a report on the steps UNRWA is taking to im11 plement any recommendations made by the independent 

12 outside review led by former French Foreign Minister 

13 Catherine Colonna. 

Æ 


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