Support for vulnerable Palestinian refugees

Canada is providing a total of $25 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).

Canada is allocating $20 million to UNRWA in core funding to help ensure that Palestinian refugees receive basic education, health and social services.

Canada is also committing $5 million to UNRWA’s emergency appeal for Palestinian refugees impacted by the Syria regional crisis, building on Canada’s commitment of humanitarian, development and security assistance in response to the Syria crisis. Palestinian refugees have been severely and disproportionately affected by the ongoing crisis in Syria, facing starvation, violence, displacement and often living under dire living conditions within conflict zones. Canada’s contribution will help to provide urgent humanitarian assistance, including food, water, health care, and education in an emergency context.

UNRWA operates in a volatile environment providing basic services, including health, education, social services, and humanitarian assistance, to over 5.5 million Palestinian refugees in five areas: West Bank, Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan. UNRWA has over 30,000 employees and is the only United Nations organization mandated to provide assistance to Palestinian refugees. Unlike other refugees worldwide, Palestinian refugees do not receive services from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.

UNRWA receives broad financial support, including substantial funding from the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union. For the past several years, UNRWA has faced a significant funding shortfall as a result of growing needs.

Education is fundamental to helping each child achieve his or her full potential; UNRWA operates 685 elementary, preparatory and secondary schools, providing access to quality education to nearly 500,000 Palestinian refugee students.

Canada’s support for UNRWA aligns with Canada’s humanitarian agenda and leadership role on refugees. It also aligns with Canada’s foreign policy objectives regarding Israel and Palestinians, which include improving stability and security in the Middle East. Canada is committed to the goal of a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East, including the creation of a Palestinian state living side by side in peace and security with Israel, resulting from direct negotiations.

Other programming with Palestinians focuses on efforts to help advance the peace process, promote security and the rule of law, stimulate sustainable economic growth and deliver humanitarian assistance.

Any partner receiving Canadian assistance in Gaza and the West Bank is subject to stringent due diligence and accountability measures. For all humanitarian and development assistance funding, Canada exercises enhanced due diligence, which includes ongoing oversight, regular site visits, a systematic screening process, and strong anti-terrorism provisions in funding agreements. Canada is applying these measures to its funding for UNRWA.

Along with other donors, Canada and UNRWA will work together to help ensure the neutrality of its operations. This will include providing training to new and existing employees on UNRWA’s policy on social media use by its personnel (including e-training, monitoring services, and follow-up), and ensuring that UNRWA is able to respond promptly if cases of inappropriate social media use occur.

Along with other reporting measures, UNRWA will provide an annual financial update on Canadian funding with specific reference to how funds were spent. Canada aims to make the majority of this reporting publically available.

Canada and UNRWA have been working together to establish specific additional measures to ensure thorough monitoring, reporting, and accountability. As an engaged member of UNRWA’s Advisory Commission, Canada will work with UNRWA and other donor governments to advance ongoing reforms related to governance, effectiveness, monitoring and financial administration. Canada’s active participation provides an opportunity for oversight, influence and engagement on key issues, as they arise.

Canada is aware that UNRWA has faced various criticisms and allegations. In Canada’s view, UNRWA has demonstrated its commitment to addressing substantiated issues, establishing conditions to ensure assistance is provided to the most vulnerable while increasing strong accountability and neutrality measures.