The Canadian Embassy in Lebanon pledged CA$50 million ($38 million) to Palestinian refugees at a meeting between Canadian Ambassador to Lebanon Emmanuelle Lamoureux and director to UNRWA affairs Claudio Cordone.
A statement from the Canadian Embassy quoted Lamoureux as saying: “This new multi-year funding from Canada is urgently needed and it will bring some predictability to UNRWA as the needs on the ground are increasing."
”Of the CA$50 million, CA$10 million will provide emergency life-saving assistance to more than 46,000 Palestinian refugees in Syria and Lebanon. For his part, Claudio Cordone said: “Canada’s announcement of funding support over two years signals a clear recognition of the essential nature of our work.” This announcement comes at a difficult time for UNRWA, which saw dramatic funding cuts on Aug. 31 when the U.S. suspended roughly $300 million in planned assistance to the agency. In recent years, the U.S. has supplied nearly 30 percent of UNRWA’s budget.
This article has been adapted from its original source.
