No official summary available for this bill.
[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 9649 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
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. Barragan, Mr. Beyer, Ms. Bonamici, Mr. Bowman, Ms. Bush,
Mr. Cardenas, 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. Garcia 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. Sanchez, Ms. Stansbury, Ms. Tlaib, Ms. Tokuda, Mr. Tonko, Ms.
Velazquez, 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).
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``UNRWA Funding Emergency Restoration
Act of 2024''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has reached a
catastrophic emergency level, with two million Palestinian
civilians suffering daily due to escalating conflict and
deprivation.
(2) The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC)
has warned of imminent famine in northern Gaza if humanitarian
assistance, including food, water, and medicine, are not
immediately provided to Palestinian civilians. Hostilities
hindering the delivery of aid in southern Gaza threaten to
create a similar situation. United States Agency for
International Development Director Samantha Power testified
that famine is currently underway in parts of Gaza.
(3) The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for
Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has since 1949
played a vital and central role in providing shelter,
education, healthcare, and financial assistance to millions of
Palestinians living in vulnerable refugee communities across
Gaza, the West Bank, Syria, Lebanon, and Jordan.
(4) UNRWA's aid operations are essential to meeting the
humanitarian needs of Palestinian civilians in Gaza and beyond.
U.S. United Nations Alternative Representative for Special
Political Affairs Robert Wood expressed to the United Nations
Security Council that UNRWA is critical to averting a famine in
Gaza, stating ``Other United Nations agencies and humanitarian
organizations have reiterated they are not equipped to replace
UNRWA, as UNRWA performs essential government-like functions
their organizations do not have the capacity or structure to
deliver.''.
(5) UNRWA remains the primary distributor of aid in Gaza
and is essential to accommodating any humanitarian aid surge to
the besieged population.
(6) Following allegations of direct involvement by
individual UNRWA employees in the devastating terrorist attacks
of October 7, 2023, UNRWA Commissioner-General Lazzarini acted
swiftly and decisively, fully cooperating with Israeli
authorities, publicly disclosing the allegations, and
immediately terminating all the employees involved.
(7) United Nations Secretary-General Guterres has taken
additional corrective steps, including by completing an
investigation into the allegations by the United Nation's
highest oversight body, the Office of Internal Oversight
Services (OIOS).
(8) In April 2024, an independent, outside review concluded
that UNRWA has established a significant number of mechanisms
and procedures to ensure compliance with humanitarian
principles with an emphasis on the principle of neutrality.
This review included recommendations for steps to strengthen
neutrality policies, all of which UNRWA immediately agreed to
implement.
(9) Almost all parties, including the European Union,
United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, Japan, France, Switzerland,
Canada, The Netherlands, Australia, Italy, Austria, Finland,
Iceland, Romania, and Estonia have already restored funding to
UNRWA following these strong actions taken by the United
Nations and the commitments made by UNRWA toward complete
accountability and reform.
(10) Ireland, Portugal, Spain, Belgium have since provided
resources to UNRWA above their original commitments.
(11) The United States has historically been the largest
funder of UNRWA, and plays a pivotal role in supporting the
agency's critical mission.
(12) Properly vetted funding for UNRWA remains in the
comprehensive strategic interests of the United States, and its
allies.
SEC. 3. STATEMENT OF POLICY.
Congress--
(1) recognizes that preventing further erosion of civilian
conditions in Gaza remains in the strategic and moral interests
of the United States;
(2) supports UNRWA's unique and indispensable contribution
to immediately addressing urgent humanitarian needs in Gaza,
especially in mitigating and stopping the spread of famine;
(3) urges the Government of Israel to assist the United
Nations Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS)
investigation team in its critical work;
(4) urges the Administration--
(A) to join United States allies in restoring
funding to UNRWA given the responsible actions taken by
the United Nations and UNRWA as well as the commitments
made by UNRWA toward additional accountability,
transparency, and reform; and
(B) to ensure continued funding to UNRWA is
assessed based on UNRWA's ongoing execution of the
recommendations of the independent outside review led
by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna;
(5) recognizes implementation of some of the independent
outside review recommendations will require United Nations
member state cooperation, including additional funding, and
urges the United States and Israel to assist UNRWA in its
implementation efforts; and
(6) supports appropriating critical funds to UNRWA for
fiscal year 2025.
SEC. 4. RESTORATION OF FUNDING FOR UNRWA.
(a) In General.--Effective on the date of the enactment of this
Act--
(1) title III of division G of the Further Consolidated
Appropriations Act, 2024 (Public Law 118-47) is hereby
repealed;
(2) section 308 of the Israel Security Supplemental
Appropriations Act, 2024 (division A of Public Law 118-50) is
hereby repealed; and
(3) the Secretary of State shall, notwithstanding any other
provision of law and as soon as practicable--
(A) rescind the temporary pause in funding for
UNRWA as described in the press statement entitled
``Statement on UNRWA Allegations'' issued on January
26, 2024; and
(B) resume the provision of funding to UNRWA under
current authorities of the Department of State.
(b) Reports.--Not later than 90 days after the date of the
enactment of this Act, and quarterly thereafter through December 31,
2027, the Secretary of State shall submit to the appropriate
congressional committees of jurisdiction a report on the steps UNRWA is
taking to implement any recommendations made by the independent outside
review led by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna.
<all>
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E913)
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.
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