EU statement on the Impact and consequences of the current situation in the Gaza Strip/Palestine in all aspects of UNESCO’s mandate - 222nd Executive Board, UNESCO

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union, the candidate countries Montenegro, Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, as well as the Republic of San Marino and the Principality of Monaco.

Dear colleagues, 

The EU supports UNESCO’s engagement in Gaza, within all areas of its competence and mandate.

More than two years of conflict in the Gaza Strip has led to the closure of all education facilities, affecting more than 700,000 children and other students; has damaged hundreds of cultural sites and disrupted creative industries; and has severely hampered journalists in their vital work while fearing for their lives or arrest. UNESCO’s actions and emergency assistance are crucial to address this unacceptable situation. 

The EU and its member states have been providing humanitarian and financial assistance to help meet the basic needs of the Palestinian people since 2000. Since the 7 October 2023 Hamas terrorist attack and the start of the war in Gaza, the EU has been providing for the needs of the affected Palestinian civilians with almost € 1,44 billion in humanitarian assistance.

The EU welcomes President Trump’s commitment to ending the war in Gaza, which offers a way out of this devastating conflict, ensuring an immediate ceasefire and release of all remaining hostages, and guaranteeing the provision of full humanitarian assistance to Gaza, with a central role for the UN and its agencies – all elements that have long constituted core EU priorities.