Athena Rayburn, Executive Director of the Association of International Development Agencies (AIDA), a coordinating network representing more than 100 international humanitarian and development organisations operating in the occupied Palestinian territory, criticised the performance of the Gaza Board of Peace during a UN Security Council briefing on Wednesday (26 Aug).
Rayburn argued that the body should be judged by its ability to deliver protection, humanitarian relief and improved living conditions for civilians rather than by the establishment of governance structures alone.
The Board of Peace was established under the framework of UN Security Council Resolution 2803, which was adopted to support a ceasefire process in Gaza, including humanitarian assistance, stabilisation efforts and future governance arrangements.
Rayburn said that by the measures mentioned above, ‘The Board of Peace is failing’, arguing that reported humanitarian improvements since the October 2025 ceasefire should not be considered a success while civilians remain dependent on restricted aid and exposed to ongoing insecurity.
She also criticised restrictions affecting international humanitarian organisations, citing the de-registration of more than 30 NGOs, limits on medical supplies and aid deliveries, and continued operational constraints.
Rayburn questioned whether the Gaza Board of Peace was being used to obscure actions she said contravened international humanitarian law, arguing that if the body claimed credit for progress it should also accept responsibility for conditions under its oversight.
Closing her remarks, Rayburn urged Security Council members to verify conditions firsthand, asking whether they were fully informed about the situation in Gaza before inviting them to undertake “an urgent mission to Gaza”, saying: “Exercise your powers of inquiry and come and see for yourselves.”
ℹ️ UN Web TV
Follow on social media TikTok@tut0ughInstagram@tut0ugh Threads@tut0ugh X@tut0ugh YouTube@tut0ugh
