Ref: 65/2011

The Palestinian
Center for Human Rights (PCHR) is gravely concerned over the update made by the
United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) to its
website in both English and Arabic. The
update included changing UNRWA’s name to “United Nations Agency for
Palestinian Refugees,” which has legal and political implications.

The change of
name indeed raises serious concerns, especially in light of the political
efforts made at the international level to undermine the issue of Palestinian
refugees, which is the core of the Palestinian cause.

PCHR has followed
closely the negative reactions to this change at the Palestinian and Arab level,
which have increased in the course of the past two weeks, including the
reactions of the Palestinian political powers and Palestine Liberation
Organization (PLO) and movements within the framework of the League of Arab
States.

On the other
hand, UNRWA denied any substantial change in its name or the mandate assigned
to it by the UN General Assembly. Moreover, it maintained that the update is nothing more than a formal change
and an improvement to the website as part of the efforts done to attract
international funding to UNRWA. After
the criticism the Agency has made another change to its website, as it re-inserted
the sentence “United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees”
in a small font under its logo, but it kept the disputable modification in the
name – “United Nations for Palestinian Refugees.”

PCHR stresses
the following:

1. PCHR denounces the UN Agency’s administration unilateral amendment of
its name whatever the motives of this change are. PCHR also stresses that the
Agency’s name “United Nation Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian
refugees” was literally mentioned in the UN General Assembly’s resolution
No. 302 of 1949, which established UNRWA and decided its mandate.

2. No party or person is authorized to change the literal name mentioned
in the resolution by the UN General Assembly, which established the Agency and
is the sole institution with the competence to make changes. Therefore, the UNRWA Commissioner-General or
any other person is not authorized to amend or change the Agency’s name.

3. The last update on the name following the condemning reactions is
not sufficient, and therefore, the original name has to be returned as it was mentioned
literally in the General Assembly’s resolution.

4. If the Agency’s claim was true, that such change is not politically
motivated and only wanted to make improvements to the website, such
improvements could be done without changing the name.

5. PCHR stresses its full support to PLO’s position as the sole
legitimate representative of the Palestinian people, which demands an urgent action
in the framework of the United Nations, the League of Arab States and the
countries hosting Palestinian refugees in order to preserve the work of UNRWA
and ensure its existence under its name, mandate and services.