Finland to resume funding to UNRWA

Finland will resume funding to the U.N. Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA, its foreign trade and development minister said on Friday. Several countries, including the United States and Britain, paused their funding to UNRWA after accusations by Israel that a dozen of the agency's 13,000 staff in Gaza took part in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack in Israel.

Finland will resume funding to the U.N. Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA, its foreign trade and development minister said on Friday.

Several countries, including the United States and Britain, paused their funding to UNRWA after accusations by Israel that a dozen of the agency's 13,000 staff in Gaza took part in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack in Israel. "UNRWA improving its risk management, meaning preventing and initiating close monitoring for misconduct, provides sufficient guarantees for us at this point to continue our support" Foreign Trade and Development Minister Ville Tavio said.

He told a press conference some of the Finnish money would be earmarked for risk management. Countries including Canada, Australia and Sweden have also restored funding to UNRWA, while several Gulf countries such as Saudi Arabia have increased funding.