Madam Speaker, before I begin, I would like to take an opportunity to send my condolences to the families of the victims of the shooting that took place at the synagogue in Pittsburgh. Our hearts are with the Jewish community in Pittsburgh and Canada. Our government will always stand united against hatred, violence and anti-Semitism in Canada and abroad.
To respond to my colleague's question, earlier this month, on October 12, the Minister of International Development announced $50 million over two years to support millions of vulnerable Palestinian refugees who live in the West Bank, Gaza, Syria, Jordan and Lebanon. This funding provides education, health and social services as well as urgent humanitarian assistance for those affected by the Syrian crisis.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, UNRWA, is the only UN organization mandated to provide assistance to Palestinian refugees. These refugees are among the most vulnerable in the region, and if not for UNRWA, their needs would be unmet.
Our continued engagement with UNRWA allows us to closely monitor it to ensure accountability and transparency. In fact, neutrality is central to UNRWA's operations and is a condition for many donors, including Canada, of providing funding. Canada's support is contributing to UNRWA's neutrality activities, which include regular inspections of the agency's facilities; training for UNRWA staff on neutrality, including in social media; the promotion of students' knowledge and skills reflecting human values, including human rights, conflict resolution, gender equality and tolerance, through educational activities and materials; and UNRWA's development, distribution and use of additional educational materials, as part of the agency's approach, to enable teachers to promote neutrality.
UNRWA has in place a framework to review all textbooks that host governments require them to use, and where needed, provides additional training for teachers to address any problematic issues related to neutrality, bias, gender equality or age appropriateness. Canada will remain engaged on this issue and will continue to make the case for education as a tool for peace.
The Minister of International Development personally raised Canada's concerns about particularly problematic material in Palestinian textbooks with the Palestinian Authority representative in Canada last spring and more recently with the PA Prime Minister and the Minister of Education during her visit to the West Bank, in July 2018.
As with all Canadian assistance for Palestinians, we exercise enhanced due diligence measures for our funding to UNRWA. This includes ongoing oversight, regular site visits, a systematic screening process and strong anti-terrorism provisions in funding agreements. If and when issues arise, Canada and UNRWA engage quickly to get to the bottom of any issues.
Upholding the neutrality of its operations allows UNRWA to deliver effectively on its important assistance to Palestinian refugees. Canada will continue to take all allegations of neutrality violations very seriously, and our government will continue to provide assistance to the most vulnerable on behalf of Canadians in a way that reflects Canadian values.
Thanks to UNRWA's work, more than three million people have access to—