The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) has failed to implement reforms on hate speech and antisemitism recommended by an Independent Review Group established by the agency, according to an analysis by IMPACT-se.
The Independent Review Group, led by former French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna and commonly known as the Colonna Report, was commissioned in 2024 following international concern over UNRWA’s educational materials, staff conduct and alleged links to Hamas.
The review found that many of UNRWA’s educational materials “constitute a grave violation of neutrality” and called on the agency to “stop using such material”, alongside 49 other recommendations.
Following the findings, several donor countries temporarily suspended funding for UNRWA, with the resumption of contributions made conditional on the implementation of the Colonna Report’s recommendations.
IMPACT-se analysed UNRWA progress reports, funding requests, public statements and educational materials published between April 2024 and May 2026 to assess the agency’s implementation of the recommendations.
The analysis found that UNRWA had failed to meaningfully implement many of the recommendations and had also lowered the threshold for determining when recommendations could be considered complete.
According to IMPACT-se, UNRWA also revised its reporting methodology, creating the impression of “a substantially accelerated rate of implementation”.
For example, one recommendation in the Colonna Report required UNRWA to immediately stop using educational materials containing incitement to violence, hate speech and antisemitism. However, IMPACT-se’s review of UNRWA textbooks found that materials promoting violence and glorifying terrorism remained in use.
One eighth-grade Arabic language textbook includes reading comprehension, grammar and vocabulary exercises that praise the slitting of Israelis’ throats and glorify suicide bombings.
Another Colonna recommendation called for UNRWA to review the content of educational materials in cooperation with Israel and the Palestinian Authority. According to IMPACT-se, Israel was not invited to participate in any such review, despite UNRWA reporting that the recommendation had been implemented.
IMPACT-se argued that, without establishing the recommended review mechanism, UNRWA has retained sole responsibility for determining what constitutes hate speech and incitement to violence, without independent oversight.
Despite concerns over UNRWA’s implementation of the recommendations, several donor governments cited the agency’s newly introduced reporting methodology as a reason for continuing financial support.
IMPACT-se warned that its findings suggest that “the Colonna process has thus far functioned more as a framework for procedural compliance than as a mechanism for deep institutional reform”, arguing that UNRWA risks creating the appearance of progress without addressing the underlying concerns that led to the review.
