Let me say at the outset that Canada has a longstanding involvement in the region.
We responded to the Arab Spring by committing $10 million over five years to support a youth unemployment project in Egypt and almost $300,000 to support journalists during the pre-election period. That's important.
We recently approved $300,000 to support Egyptian parliamentarians with legislative drafting support.
In Tunisia we provided $100,000 of support for border registration.
Our government also was among the first to respond to the crisis in Libya. In addition to our substantial NATO contribution, we've committed some $10 million for humanitarian assistance to support a gender and legal expert to the National Transitional Council. We're very concerned about the issue of rape as an instrument of war, and we've offered support to assist in that regard. I think that obviously social support and accountability are incredibly important in that regard.
Also, we committed $10 million in October to help recover and secure weapons in Libya. I think by doing so we're standing in solidarity with the National Transitional Council and the people of Libya. The place is armed to the hilt, and obviously it causes us real concern that the state won't be...it will be these militias with a substantial amount of weaponry. There also, of course, are confirmed large stockpiles of chemical weapons in Libya. We'd obviously like to see the destruction of those materials take place as soon as possible, and frankly not just for the security of the people of Libya and the people of the region, but even a small quantity of that could cause great damage in Canada or in the west.
We support the UN Department of Political Affairs rapid response activities in the region to support democratic transitions and the prevention of violence. Our START program is providing support in the West Bank.
Canada has done a great job in supporting the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank on justice and establishing a security system, a court system. I met with Prime Minister Fayyad two weeks ago, and there's a great deal of gratitude for Canada's contribution there. The United States acknowledges the great work we've done there, as does, frankly, Israel. There has been a quiet success story in the West Bank under Prime Minister Fayyad's leadership and the START program has played a small role in that, I think.