UNITED NATIONS, February 5. /TASS/. The UN secretary-general has appointed an independent panel to assess the activities of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), says a statement circulated by the office of Antonio Guterres.

"The Secretary-General, in consultation with UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini, has appointed an independent Review Group to assess whether the Agency is doing everything within its power to ensure neutrality and to respond to allegations of serious breaches when they are made," the statement said.

"The review will be led by Catherine Colonna, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs of France, who will work with three research organizations: the Raoul Wallenberg Institute in Sweden, the Chr. Michelsen Institute in Norway, and the Danish Institute for Human Rights," the statement added.

The Review Group begins its work on February 14, and "is expected to submit an interim report to the Secretary-General late March 2024, with a final report expected to be completed by late April 2024." The final report will be made public, it said.

"This independent external review will take place in parallel with an investigation currently underway by the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services (OIOS) into allegations of the involvement of 12 UNRWA personnel in the 7 October attacks," the statement pointed out.

Earlier, a number of countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany, Canada and the United States, announced the suspension of funding for UNRWA over its suspected links to the radical Palestinian movement Hamas. UNRWA Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini ordered the dismissal of several employees allegedly involved in the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel.

The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East was established in 1949. Its mission is to provide medical, social and food aid, as well as education, to 5.9 mln refugees in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. UNRWA staff exceeds 30,000. The agency is managed by a commissioner general appointed by the UN secretary general. The organization is funded by donations from UN member states, the European Union and international NGOs and needs about $1.2 bln per year to be fully operational. UNRWA received $1.17 bln in 2022, with the US being its largest donor ($344 mln). Russia's donation amounted to $2 mln in 2022.