Finland will stop funding UNRWA when its current multi-year agreement with the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees expires, Foreign Trade and Development Minister (ulkomaankauppa- ja kehitysministeri) Ville Tavio announced on Thursday, 27 August. The government will not negotiate a new funding agreement, ending annual Finnish contributions of €5 million to the agency.
The current agreement, covering 2023 to 2026, was concluded under the government of former Prime Minister Sanna Marin. Tavio, a member of the Finns Party (Perussuomalaiset), said Finland intends to continue supporting Palestinians through other organisations and possible new funding mechanisms. According to Yle, the minister said a new UN fund for Palestinian reconstruction could be one of the options under consideration.
Finland says Palestinian aid will be redirected
The decision concerns funding for UNRWA, rather than Finland’s overall support for Palestinians. Tavio said on Thursday that funding would continue through other channels and that the overall level of Finnish assistance would not decrease, according to the Finnish news agency STT.
Finland already provides humanitarian assistance through organisations including the World Food Programme, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and Finn Church Aid.
Tavio said Finland is currently assessing where the funding previously allocated to UNRWA could be directed. One possibility is a new UN reconstruction fund for Palestine.
Finland follows Sweden on UNRWA funding
Tavio explicitly linked the decision to Sweden, which stopped providing core funding to UNRWA at the end of 2024.
The Swedish government announced in December 2024 that it would discontinue direct core support to the agency while increasing humanitarian funding for Gaza and the surrounding region through other organisations. Sweden had provided SEK 451 million to UNRWA during 2024 before changing its approach.
The Swedish decision came after Israel adopted legislation restricting UNRWA’s activities and contacts with Israeli authorities. The measures have since significantly complicated the agency’s operations, particularly in East Jerusalem.
Finland’s decision therefore brings its funding policy closer to that of its neighbouring Nordic country, although Helsinki says humanitarian assistance for Palestinians will continue.
Why Finland’s UNRWA funding had already been suspended once
The relationship between Finland and UNRWA had already come under scrutiny in 2024. Finland was among more than a dozen countries that temporarily suspended funding after Israel accused 12 UNRWA employees of involvement in the Hamas-led attacks in southern Israel on 7 October 2023.
Finland subsequently resumed its payments in March 2024. At the time, Tavio said discussions with UNRWA had convinced the government that the agency’s monitoring and risk-management measures could be brought to an adequate level. Finland then continued implementing its existing funding agreement.
A later investigation by the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services examined allegations concerning 19 UNRWA employees, including the original 12. In August 2024, the UN said that evidence was insufficient or absent in ten cases, while in the remaining nine cases the evidence indicated that the employees may have been involved in the 7 October attacks. Their employment was terminated.
The decision has drawn criticism in Finland
The government’s announcement was criticised by Inka Hopsu, an MP for the Green League (Vihreä liitto), who called for the decision to be reversed.
Hopsu argued that other humanitarian organisations cannot fully replace UNRWA’s infrastructure and services for Palestinian refugees. She also questioned the government’s decision to justify the change by referring to Sweden’s policy.
UNRWA provides education, healthcare and emergency assistance to Palestinian refugees in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, as well as in Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. Its operations have faced increasing restrictions since Israel adopted legislation targeting the agency in 2024.
Finland’s decision marks a change from its position in 2024, when the government chose to resume funding after reviewing UNRWA’s control mechanisms. The next question will be which organisations or UN mechanisms receive the €5 million previously allocated each year to UNRWA, and whether Finland maintains the overall level of assistance promised by Tavio.
