Humanitarian principles

Endorsed by two UN General Assembly resolutions, the Humanitarian Principles guide the work of all actors working in the humanitarian sphere. As an Agency with a humanitarian mandate – namely, to assist and protect Palestine refugees – the Humanitarian Principles not only guide our work, but make it possible. From ensuring the sanctity of our shelters in times of crisis, to maintaining access to the most vulnerable populations, to advocating on behalf of Palestine refugees, the principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence are at the heart of all UNRWA operations.

From 2020, the Agency’s priorities for Humanitarian Principles programming will be Centralization, Modernization, and Transparency, to further enhance oversight and integration of these principles so central to our work. Centralization will involve greater focus on more centralized training, policy generation, and the merging and consolidation of data. Modernization also relates to the consolidation of data and the automation of vetting. While transparency relates to the better internal and external reports.