José Manuel Albares reinforces Spain's support for the UN agency for Palestinian refugees

The Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, has reinforced Spain's support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, UNRWA, by reiterating that the mobilisation of funds "must be a priority for all of us", understanding that "the financial contribution is also fundamental" and that Spain must set an example for other countries to increase their support.

Albares, who participated together with UNRWA Commissioner General Philippe Lazzarini, his counterparts from Jordan, Ayman Safadi, and Brazil, Mauro Vieira, in a media appearance, recalled that Spain has contributed more than 60 million euros to the Agency since October 2023 and since September an additional 10 million euros have been allocated to the UN Agency.

In 2026, this commitment to UNRWA will remain "unwavering", as Albares points out that "Spain cannot remain indifferent to the suffering of Palestine". The Spanish minister recalled that our total additional contribution for the relief of the Palestinian people will reach 150 million euros over the course of this year.

Albares also focused on the suffering of millions of Palestinians and the stability of the region, which he said depend on UNRWA's operational capacity on the ground. In this regard, he urged support for their courageous efforts to meet the needs of and protect Palestinian refugees in extremely adverse circumstances.

Palestine

The Minister for Foreign Affairs also participated in the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee on Palestine, where he called for strengthened support for the Palestinian Authority and its budget to enable it to provide social services, meet the needs of its citizens and be fully operational.

In this regard, he stressed the need to mobilise additional funding for the Palestinian Authority's budget. Spain is working with Saudi Arabia, Norway and France to launch an initiative to this end, and during the General Assembly meetings the minister called on countries that support the implementation of the two-state solution to join the initiative.

G-20 meeting

Prior to his participation in this forum, Albares spoke at the G-20 ministerial meeting. Following the meeting held in South Africa in February 2025, which the minister also attended, the Spanish minister stressed that "the G20 is more effective when it works in full harmony with the United Nations".

Albares argued that "multilateralism is the only way to respond to crises that no country can resolve alone" and, in this regard, he wanted to emphasise that "the G20 has economic legitimacy and the capacity to mobilise, while the United Nations provides political and regulatory legitimacy".

The minister called for coordination to be strengthened between humanitarian agencies, financial institutions and security mechanisms; investing in the well-being of our people, with a focus on health, education and a just energy transition; and for foreign and economic policies to be based on the principles of the United Nations Charter.

Albares stressed the need for the G20 and the UN to work together to make the Humanitarian-Development-Peace (HDP) nexus a reality with a clear message: "No development without peace, no peace without development".

Throughout the intense day, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation also held a bilateral meeting with the President of the UN General Assembly, Annalena Baerbock, with whom he reviewed the turbulent international context. He also completed the usual round of contacts with Jewish associations, in which the World Jewish Congress, the Major Jewish Organisations and the American Jewish Organisations took part, where he discussed ways to combat anti-Semitism and Spain's position in favour of the two-state solution.

He also had time to address issues related to Artificial Intelligence and the UN Resolution promoted by Spain, together with Costa Rica, to create the Independent International Scientific Panel on AI and to launch a Global Dialogue on AI Governance. On this issue, Albares pointed out that Spain calls for Artificial Intelligence centred on people, whose application always complies with international law, international humanitarian law and international human rights law.

Non official translation