Canada to Provide Up to $25Mln for Palestinian Refugees

Canadian Minister of International Development and La Francophonie claimed that Canada would provide up to $25 million for Palestinian refugees via the UN relief agency.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Canada will donate up to $25 million to the United Nations relief agency for Palestinian refugees, Minister of International Development and La Francophonie Marie-Claude Bibeau said in a statement on Thursday.

"Palestinian refugees deserve the right to be able to go to a school, receive proper health care and get other basic services. Canada’s renewed engagement is part of our long-standing commitment to a more peaceful and stable region," Bibeau said in the statement issued by Global Affairs Canada.

Bibeau announced that Canada would provide up to $25 million to Palestinian refugees via the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), according to the statement.

The international development minister also said the donation demonstrated Canada's ongoing commitment to providing assistance to Palestinian refugees across the Middle East.

The bulk of the aid package — $20 million — will go toward helping UNRWA provide basic education, health and livelihood needs for millions of Palestinian refugees, particularly women and children, the statement said.

The remaining $5 million in assistance will go toward UNRWA's Syria Emergency Appeal, which provides life-saving assistance to more than 480,000 Palestinian refugees in Syria and Lebanon, Global Affairs Canada said.