Minister of International Development Ahmed Hussen speaks in the Foyer of the House of Commons before Question Period on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Thursday, Feb. 15, 2024. Canada hasn't made a final decision on whether to resume funding to the UN aid organization in Gaza when its next scheduled payment is due in April.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
OTTAWA – Canada hasn’t made a final decision on whether to resume funding to the UN aid organization in Gaza when its next scheduled payment is due in April.
A senior government source, speaking on condition of anonymity, says discussions continue on the decision, including with other countries that also paused funding to the organization earlier this winter.
More than a dozen countries paused donations to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in January after Israel alleged some of its workers workers participated in the Oct. 7 Hamas terrorist attack.
International Development Minister Ahmed Hussen said last week Canada was still working with the UN and its allies to ensure a fulsome investigation of the allegations against UNRWA staff.
His office muddied the waters by scheduling a press conference this morning so Hussen could provide an update on the aid situation in Gaza, then cancelling it about 90 minutes before it was to begin.
A spokeswoman for Hussen would only say it was cancelled for “logistical” reasons.
Canada’s next scheduled payment to UNRWA isn’t until April and it has not missed a payment during the so-called pause.
“We have been working with our UN partners as well as donor countries that paused funding like Canada to ensure that we have a transparent, comprehensive investigation,” Hussen said in Ottawa on Feb. 28.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 6, 2024.
