UNHCR welcomes Ireland's €12 million pledge to Syria crisis

UNHCR Ireland today welcomed Ireland’s announcement of a further €12 million in funding by the Irish government for the Syria situation.

Describing the announcement as “another serious expression of solidarity with the Syrian people”, Head of Office Sophie Magennis said that the funding was essential if humanitarian agencies were to respond to a serious rise in the number of refugees by the end of 2014.

“The current forecast is that the number of refugees will rise from 2.3 million to 4.1 million by the end of 2014. These refugees need food, protection and shelter from the harsh winter, along with health services and education for their children. This funding will go a long way in supporting that work.”

Echoing comments by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees that support must go beyond financial assistance, she also welcomed Ireland’s commitment to resettling Syrian refugees here.

“Ireland is one of only 18 countries that has pledged resettlement places to Syrians. In addition to the refugees taken in from Syria in 2013, today’s pledge is another serious expression of solidarity with the Syrian people”.

The Irish Minister for Trade and Development Joe Costello made the announcement at a major humanitarian pledging conference for Syria in Kuwait today, where he announced that Ireland will provide additional funding for life-saving emergency supplies to assist thousands of families in Syria.

In total, international donors pledged US$ 2.4 billion (€1.7 billion) to help UNHCR and other donor aid organisations respond to the humanitarian needs generated by the crisis in Syria.

39 countries pledged to help alleviate the suffering of an estimated 9.3 million women, children and men in need in Syria and 2.3 million refugees who have sought protection in neighbouring countries – a number that is expected to rise if the conflict continues unabated.

"These pledges prove that the people devastated by this conflict are not forgotten," UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said. "It is also sending a strong signal to the neighbouring countries – that we appreciate their generosity, and that they will not be left to shoulder the burden alone."

Last year, UN appeals for the Syrian crisis amounted to $4.4 billion  (€3.2 billion)and were funded at almost 70 per cent at the end of 2013.

With these funds, relief agencies increased delivery of aid from 900,000 to 3.8 million people inside Syria and more than 10 million people were given access to safe drinking water. Partners in the health sector treated 3.6 million people, and nearly 38,000 survivors of gender-based violence received psycho-social support. Thousands of Palestinian refugee families have also been reached with life-saving assistance.

Notes for editors:

As of 07 January 2014, there are 2,354,447 Syrian refugees.
Of these, 559,994 are in Turkey, 858,641 in Lebanon and 576, 534 in Jordan. The remainder are in Iraq, Egypt and other countries.

During 2013, the number of registered Syrian refugees rose from 500,000 to more than 2.3 million. As refugees fled Syria at a rate of 127,000 people a month, the number of formal refugee camps doubled. More than 196,000 tents and 809,000 plastic tarpaulins – equivalent to more than 21 square kilometres of shelter material – were distributed to Syrians in camps and informal sites.
For more information contact Jody Clarke, UNHCR External Relations Associate on 087 989 3461 or [email protected]