In January of 1992, Canada was asked to assume the role of “Gavel-Holder” of the newly-established Refugee Working Group (RWG), as part of the multilateral aspect of the Middle East peace process (MEPP) - launched three months earlier in Madrid. Thus began over a decade of Canadian diplomatic, development, and other engagement with the Palestinian refugee issue.

The Expert and Advisory Services Fund (EASF) was established at IDRC in 1992 as a Canadian contribution to the multilateral Middle East Peace Process. The EASF focuses on the generation of research and knowledge aimed at informing Middle Eastern parties as they seek to find and implement sustainable solutions to the refugee problem. The work of the EASF has the potential to benefit researchers, academics, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), negotiators and policymakers as they grapple with various complex aspects of the refugee question.

The EASF is managed by IDRC with funding from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and IDRC in collaboration with the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade (DFAIT).

• Compensation as Part of a Comprehensive Solution
  

• Planning for Demographic Change
  

• Gauging and Engaging Public Opinion
  

• Host Country Issues
  

• Ottawa Process: Conferences, Workshops, and Papers
  

• Related Activities