Canada has pledged an aid of 90 million Canadian dollars ($70m) to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, which has been encountering two years funding cuts from United States and other donors.
While talking about the aid, Minister of International Development, Karina Gould, said the aid would be shared over three years and would “help respond to the rising needs of vulnerable Palestinian refugees” in the West Bank, Gaza, Syria, Lebanon and Jordan.
The aid came after the chief of the agency disclosed that the agency was facing its “worst financial crisis” ever.
The agency which is known as the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) operates schools and offers health services and other humanitarian aid to around 5.7 million Palestinians with refugee status.
In a statement, Gould said: “The needs of Palestinian refugees are undeniable, especially during a global pandemic: they face high rates of poverty, food insecurity and unemployment.”
She added that responding to the needs of Palestinian refugees was “part of the path towards peace and prosperity in the Middle East.”
According to the statement, the fund is expected to provide emergency life-saving support to around 465,000 Palestinian refugees in Syria and Lebanon and facilitate meeting the basic education, health and livelihood needs of Palestinian refugees.
