The meeting brought together five former Canadian coordinators of the Middle East Peace Process. It also included academic experts, and current and former officials from Canada’s Privy Council Office, and the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT).
IDRC has played an integral role in the Canadian contribution to resolving the Palestinian refugee issue since Canada was given international responsibility over the file in 1992. This work was carried out through the Expert and Advisory Services Fund, a research program funded by IDRC and the Canadian International Development Agency in collaboration with DFAIT.
The program aimed to contribute knowledge in support of the negotiation process on key themes, including the repatriation of Palestinian refugees, compensation, measuring public opinion, and host country issues.
IDRC continues to fund key activities on the refugee issue to ensure knowledge is preserved. It is currently funding a series of policy papers on key aspects of a solution to the Palestinian refugee problem.
