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DAWN has joined 124 civil society organizations in calling on Congress to restore U.S. funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) by co-sponsoring the UNRWA Funding Emergency Restoration Act of 2025.
As Gaza faces a humanitarian catastrophe, UNRWA remains the backbone of aid distribution, education, and healthcare for millions of Palestinians. Despite unsubstantiated political attacks, other UN member states have resumed funding, leaving the U.S. as an outlier. Congress must reengage and ensure UNRWA's ability to continue its vital, life-saving mission.
Read the full letter here:
March 3, 2025
Dear Members of Congress:
We, the undersigned 124 civil society organizations, write to respectfully request your support for the restoration of United States funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) through cosponsorship of the forthcoming "UNRWA Funding Emergency Restoration Act of 2025."
UNRWA's staff, facilities, and infrastructure remain the backbone of the humanitarian response in the devastated Gaza Strip and serve as a significant stabilizing presence in the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem. Since October 2023, UNRWA has delivered two-thirds of all food assistance to Gaza, provided shelter to over a million displaced persons, and vaccinated a quarter of a million children against polio. UNRWA continues this wide-scale life-saving assistance, despite the implementation of Knesset restrictions in January on UNRWA's operations in the occupied Palestinian territory.
In the first phase of the ceasefire alone, UNRWA brought in 60% of the food entering Gaza, reaching more than 2 million people, or over 90% of the population. In addition, the Agency opened 37 new shelters to support people returning to the north, providing tents, blankets, plastic sheeting, and warm clothes to survive the winter months. UNRWA is providing 17,000 medical consultations a day, repairing water wells, and providing waste disposal services for nearly half a million people in and around UNRWA shelters. Over 260,000 children, who were out of school for a year and a half due to constant bombardment, are now enrolled in UNRWA's online learning platform.
In the West Bank and East Jerusalem, UNRWA offers stability by providing education to over 49,000 refugee children and youth who attend UNRWA schools and vocational training centers. It also provides primary healthcare services to nearly half a million Palestine refugees at more than 40 UNRWA healthcare centers. In the last 12 months alone, UNRWA supported over 10,000 refugee families with cash assistance in response to house demolitions and damage, and settler violence. These UNRWA services are especially critical given the prolonged security situation in the northern part of the West Bank, which has already displaced 40,000 Palestine refugees from their homes.
Importantly, UNRWA and the broader UN acted swiftly and decisively to address any allegations concerning employee neutrality, as evidenced by the resumption of support by other UN member states – leaving the United States one of the only holdouts. We believe it is now time for Congress to actively reengage with the Administration with the goal of resuming US funding to UNRWA, ensuring the Agency can continue its mandate.
We are all grateful for the implementation of phase one of the ceasefire agreement, particularly the release of hostages and the increased flow of humanitarian aid to Gaza. However, the
current truce is fragile and the transition from a ceasefire to the "day after" will be long and arduous. UNRWA's continued presence is essential to this process.
UNRWA was never intended to be a permanent entity. However, 76 years later, the Agency is still in place—not by choice, but rather as the result of a collective failure by UN Member States to resolve the underlying political issues. The alternative to imploding UNRWA is to support the UN Agency to progressively conclude its mandate within the framework of a political process.
We appreciate your consideration of this request and hope you will use your voice and vote to support the humanitarian needs and rights of Palestine refugees.
Respectfully,
- UNRWA USA National Committee
- US & International Organizations
- Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL)
- 99 Coalition
- Action Corps
- Alliance of Baptists
- American Baptist Churches USA
- American Friends Service Committee (AFSC)
- Carolina Peace Center
- Center for Civilians in Conflict (CIVIC)
- Center for International Policy Advocacy
- Charity & Security Network
- Christians for a Free Palestine
- Church World Service
- Citizens for Global Solutions (CGS)
- Climate Refugees
- Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights (CHIRLA)
- CODEPINK
- Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, U.S. Provinces
- DAWN
- Demand Progress
- Disciples Center for Public Witness
- Disciples Palestine/Israel Network
- Disciples Peace Fellowship
- Doctors Against Genocide
- Emgage Action
- Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA)
- Every Campus A Refuge
- Families For Freedom
- Free Migration Project
- Health Workers 4 Palestine
- Hindus for Human Rights
- Historians for Peace and Democracy
- Human Rights First
- Human Rights Watch
- Immigrant Legal Resource Center
- International Refugee Assistance Project
- J Street
- Jewish Voice for Peace Action
- MADRE
- Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns
- Mennonite Central Committee U.S.
- Middle East Democracy Center (MEDC)
- Migrant Roots Media
- MoveOn
- MPower Change Action Fund
- Muslim Advocates
- National Advocacy Center of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd National Council of Churches
- National Partnership for New Americans (NPNA) Never Again Action
- New Jewish Narrative
- Nonviolent Peaceforce
- Norwegian Refugee Council USA
- Oil Change International
- Palestine Justice Network of the Presbyterian Church (USA) Pax Christi USA
- Pax Christi Young Adult Caucus
- Peace Action
- Presbyterian Church, (USA), Office of Public Witness Project South
- Reformed Church in America
- Refugees International
- ReThinking Foreign Policy
- RootsAction.org
- Sisters of Mercy of the Americas – Justice Team Society of the Flora, Fauna & Friend
- The Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy (TIMEP) Unitarian Universalist Association
- Unitarian Universalist Service Committee
- Unitarian Universalists for Justice in the Middle East United Against Inhumanity (UAI)
- United Church of Christ
- US Campaign for Palestinian Rights Action
- US-Lutheran Palestine Israel Justice Network
- Welcoming America
- Witness at the Border
- Women's Refugee Commission
- World BEYOND War
- Young Center for Immigrant Children's Rights
Local Organizations
- 14 Friends of Palestine, Marin
- Al Otro Lado
- All Saints Middle East Ministry
- Arab American Civic Council
- Arizona Muslim Alliance
- Berkeley Society of Friends (Quakers)
- Brooklyn for Peace
- Delaware Clergy for Middle East Peace
- Delawareans for Palestinian Human Rights
- Dorothy Day Catholic Worker, Washington DC
- First Friends of New Jersey & New York
- Florence Immigrant & Refugee Rights Project
- Friends of Sabeel-LA/OC Chapter
- Humanitarian Health Workers
- Indiana Center for Middle East Peace
- Jewish Activists for Immigration Justice of Western MA Jewish Voice for Peace/Tacoma-Pierce County
- Massachusetts Peace Action
- Maui for Palestine
- Maui Peace Action
- Middle East Justice and Peace Group of South Central PA Minnesota Peace Project
- Morningside Quaker Meeting
- Muslim Advocacy for Rights, Unity, and Fairness – CT (MARUF CT) Muslim Justice League
- NH Peace Action
- North Carolina Peace Action
- Oasis Legal Services
- Olive Branch Fair Trade
- Pax Christi New York State
- Peace Action New York State
- Peace Action of Michigan
- Peace Action WI
- Peace, Justice, Sustainability, NOW!
- Pennsylvania Immigration Coalition
- Progressive Democrats of America – Central New Mexico
- Racine Coalition for Peace and Justice
- Shalom United Church of Christ
- St. Columba Catholic Church
- Sunflowers for Peace
- The Palestine Justice Network of the Presbyterian Church USA Bay Area Transformations CDC
- Virginia Coalition for Human Rights
- Westminster Presbyterian Church – Middle East Task Force
