Finland Announces Resumption of Funding for UNRWA

Finnish Minister of Foreign Trade and Development, Ville Tavio, stated today that Finland will resume its funding for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). In a press conference, Tavio said, "UNRWA's improvement in its risk management, specifically the prevention and close monitoring of misconduct, provides us with sufficient guarantees at this stage to continue our support," noting that some Finnish funds will be allocated for risk management. Fifteen countries, including the United States, suspended the equivalent of more than half of the funds received by UNRWA in 2023 after Israel accused 12 of the agency's 13,000 staff in Gaza of involvement in the October 7 attack. Later, countries such as Canada, Australia, and Sweden restored their funding for UNRWA, while several Gulf states, including Saudi Arabia, increased their funding.