New Zealand has suspended funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), pending the release of the October report by the U.N. Office of Internal Oversight Services surrounding allegations that the U.N. agency that assists Palestinians has engaged in “sexual misconduct, nepotism, retaliation, discrimination and other abuses of authority, for personal gain, to suppress legitimate dissent, and to otherwise achieve their personal objectives,” as previously reported by AFP.
“We expect UNRWA to cooperate fully with the investigation under way and to report back on the investigation’s findings and recommendations,” said the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade in a statement. “The Ministry will review the findings of the UN OIOS report once the investigation is complete and, after that point, will provide advice to the Minister of Foreign Affairs on future funding.”
New Zealand provided nearly $1.6 million to UNRWA between January and June.