Philippe Lazzarini (born 1964) is a Swiss-Italian humanitarian who has been serving as Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) since 2020.

May 30, 2024 · On 18 March 2020, Mr Philippe Lazzarini was appointed Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) …

5 days ago · Lazzarini said those who think that UNRWA can simply be dissolved and its responsibilities handed over to other institutions are mistaken. UNRWA provides aid and services — including health and education — to some 2.5 million Palestinian refugees in Gaza and the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem, as well as 3 million more in Syria ...

On 18 March 2020, Mr Philippe Lazzarini was appointed Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) by United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres.

Jan 28, 2025 · The Government of Israel claims that UNRWA plays a negligible role in providing humanitarian assistance in Gaza. In fact, UNRWA constitutes half the emergency response, with all other entities delivering the other half.

Nov 22, 2024 · “The Israelis got a state. The Palestinians got UNRWA,” says Philippe Lazzarini—a two-decade employee of the U.N. who in 2020 was named the 15th, and now possibly the last, chief of an agency...

Mr. Philippe Lazzarini was appointed Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the...

5 days ago · Lazzarini said that while replaceable by a functioning public institution, UNRWA provides essential public services that no other U.N. agency offers on such a scale.

Mr. Lazzarini brings to the position more than thirty years of experience in humanitarian assistance and international coordination in conflict and post-conflict areas in the United Nations, the...

Jan 29, 2025 · Briefing ambassadors in New York on Tuesday, UNRWA Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini warned that the laws passed in October last year in the Knesset jeopardize the lives of millions of...