Event Summary
UNRWA management announced austerity measures across its five fields of operations (Jordan, Lebanon, Gaza, the West Bank, and Syria), including a 20 percent reduction in local working hours and salaries for staff, effective 1 February 2026. These decisions have been met with broad criticism, including in a statement issued on 14 January 2026 by the High Committee for Defense of the Right to Return in Jordan—an independent coalition-style body made up of activists, community representatives, and figures concerned with Palestinian refugee rights—criticizing these measures and warning of their repercussions on staff rights and service delivery.
On 19 January 2026, staff members of UNRWA — including those of UNRWA Jordan — carried out a temporary labor stoppage in protest. They stressed that the negative impacts of these managerial decisions are not limited to local employees, but also extend to refugees who depend on UNRWA services, particularly community health services administered by UNRWA in Jordan. On 27 January 2026, the General Conference of the Unions of Local Workers in UNRWA carried out their 4th sit-in at their work sites after issuing a series of statements, indicating that labor actions are expected to continue until February 7. A UNRWA-wide strike across all fields of operation is then set to commence on 8 February 2026 if management does not reverse its decisions.
Staff representatives have further indicated that UNRWA management exempted senior officials in higher-level administrative positions from these austerity measures. These developments are taking place amid mounting political pressure on UNRWA from the United States and Israel, as well as a severe budget shortfall for 2026 resulting from the suspension of U.S. funding and reductions in European assistance. UNRWA Jordan is a key institutional actor within Jordan’s broader civic and humanitarian ecosystem. Any developments affecting its operations or staff of 7,000 have implications extending well beyond the Agency itself. We are highlighting potential EE spillover effects.