The United Nations program focusing on Palestinian refugees is urging Canada to resume support for the agency’s overall budget for core operations, Jordan Times reports. Canada decided in 2009 to redirect its financial support of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East away from the agency’s general budget and toward its food security initiatives for refugees living in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Chrise Gunnes, a UNRWA spokesperson, told Jordan Times that Canada has indicated that it will cut its support for the UNRWA’s general fund, which finances the agency’s core activities, including health and education projects.
Meanwhile, Scott Cantin, a press officer with the Canadian International Development Agency, explained that redirecting assistance to UNRWA’s program-specific funding is aligned with Canada’s development priorities, which include food security.
