Ensure Canadian foreign aid is aligned with Canadian values & policy 

Canadians can be proud of our track record providing billions annually in international assistance and humanitarian aid, funding medical supplies, water, and food. However, if released into the wrong hands, humanitarian aid can be diverted from its intended target population its target population with deadly consequences.   

While Global Affairs Canada maintains records on Canadian-funded projects, these GAC records rarely reflect actions taken by implementing partners, sub-contractors, or secondary project partners. Organizations such as UNRWA have never published an annual oversight report. Lack of transparency and accountability facilitates potential misappropriation of important humanitarian aid, harming the populations in need.   

CIJA has deep concerns about the 2024 revelations that employees of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) took part in Hamas’ attacks on Israeli civilians on October 7, 2023.   

These are not just a few “bad actors.” Credible assessments estimate that 10% (about 1,200) of UNRWA staff are terror operatives, taking an active part in Hamas’ military and political framework, while another in-depth report revealed a group chat of 3,000 UNRWA teachers celebrating the October 7 attacks – the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. 

Recommendations

• Canada should reverse its decision to continue funding UNRWA in light of UNRWA’s connections to Hamas. Instead, Canada should continue to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza, but through organizations that do not have connections to Canadian-listed terror entities, such as the World Food Programme, United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), or the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA).
• Global Affairs Canada should commit to including local implementing partners and subcontractors in its public reporting, to enhance transparency and opportunities for public oversight.   
• Canada’s terror entity list must be utilized in grant agreements as well as Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy to ensure all funding reflects Canadian values and policy.