The agency known as UNRWA runs schools and provides health services as well as other humanitarian aid to an estimated 5.7 million Palestinians with refugee status. "The needs of Palestinian refugees are undeniable, especially during a global pandemic: They face high rates of poverty, food insecurity and unemployment," said Karina Gould, minister of international development. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government restored aid to the agency in 2016 after it had been cut four years earlier by his conservative predecessor Stephen Harper. It criticises its method of classifying Palestinian refugees since their descendants are also eligible for the status. Washington had been providing UNRWA $300 million a year, roughly a third of its core annual budget.

Source: Dhaka Tribune December 22, 2020 13:41 UTC