· In short: Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim wants Australia to restore funding for the United Nations aid agency in Gaza.

· He said he raised the issue with Anthony Albanese during a bilateral meeting ahead of this week's ASEAN-Australia summit in Melbourne.

· What's next? With Canada reportedly about to lift its pause on UNRWA funding, Mr Albanese says Australia will "make an assessment at an appropriate time" about its position.

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has urged Australia to restore funding for the United Nations aid agency UNRWA in Gaza.

Anwar Ibrahim revealed he took up the issue directly with Anthony Albanese during a bilateral meeting between the leaders ahead of the ASEAN-Australia summit on Monday.

Australia was one of a group of countries that suspended funding for UNRWA after Israel provided evidence alleging that some of the agency's workers were involved in the October 7 terror attacks.

Some $6 million dollars in funding has been "paused" while the matter is investigated, and Foreign Minister Penny Wong has said further information is being sought from Israel.

Mr Ibrahim told an event at the Australian National University on Thursday that he urged Mr Albanese to restore the funding.

"I have appealed to Prime Minister Albanese to see that notwithstanding investigations — they can carry on, they're not stopping — but assist UNRWA," Mr Ibrahim said.

"[That's] because UNRWA is the most effective on the ground to help the besieged civilians."

Mr Ibrahim delivered the annual Gareth Evans Oration, using the speech in Canberra to take aim at the stance taken by Western countries on the Israel-Gaza conflict.

"Unfortunately, the gut-wrenching tragedy that continues to unfold in the Gaza Strip has laid bare the self-serving nature of [the] much-vaunted rules-based order," he said.

"The differing responses by the West to human suffering defy reasoning.

"Why, for example, has the West been so vociferous, vehement and unequivocal in the condemnation of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, while remaining utterly silent on the relentless bloodletting inflected on innocent men, women and children of Gaza?"

But he later praised Australia, Canada and New Zealand for calling for a ceasefire and humanitarian access to Gaza.

Earlier this wee

k, Canada's national broadcaster, CBC, reported the country was set to lift its pause on funding for UNRWA.

Mr Albanese told a media conference on Wednesday that Australia would "make an assessment at an appropriate time" on the issue.