The Liberal government is considering re-instating Canada's contributions to the UN aid agency for Palestinian refugees: UNRWA. UNRWA’s role is to provide education, health care, and other services to the 5 million Palestinian refugees living in Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Jordan and other countries. Canada, with the US and Europe was a consistent donor to UNRWA for years, until Harper cut all funding 3-4 years ago. CJPME has been active in trying to encourage the Liberal government to give generously to this need, through press statements, action alerts, letters signed by a large variety of Canadians organizations, and other means.
CJPME issued a number of communications, and set up a number of tools to press the government on this issue:
- Email the Minister of International Development, and your member of Parliament and ask him/her to call for funding of UNRWA.
- Call your member of Parliament and asking him/her to vote against this motion
- Sign the petition calling for Canadian support for UNRWA. The petition will be delivered to the Minister's office on Wednesday, May 18th.
- Read CJPME's Open Letter to the Minister of International Development asking to the government to restore UNRWA funding
- Read CJPME's Factsheet "UNRWA, Myths and Facts"
- Read CJPME's Factsheet, "UNRWA, History and Context"
- Donate to CJPME’s human rights advocacy work for Israel-Palestine and the rest of the Middle East