Finland strengthens its support to UNHCR
“We are grateful for Finland’s support to UNHCR. Finland is an important donor to UNHCR and its contributions to the Syria crisis and refugee situations in Africa and Asia will alleviate the suffering of thousands of refugees and internally displaced persons and ensure their protection. Finland’s continued support to UNHCR will help the most vulnerable, such as children, women and people with disabilities in countries and regions where the need is the greatest”, says Pia Prytz Phiri, Regional Representative for Northern Europe.
Furthermore, Phiri strongly embraces Finland’s decision to also increase its resettlement quota with 300 places and allocate 500 places for Syrian refugees in 2014. To date, Finland is one of the 20 countries in the world that has pledged to receive Syrian refugees on resettlement or humanitarian admission.
The conflict in Syria has driven more than 2.7 million people into exile. Almost all refugees have fled to Syria’s neighboring countries, whose own societies and economies are under extreme pressure. Around 6.5 million people have fled their homes within Syria due to the conflict and 5.5 million children are now affected inside the country and in neighbouring countries.
To keep pace with 2013’s alarming exodus and ensure adequate protection and provide documentation, refugee registration efforts were expanded, reducing waiting times to only a matter of hours. Mobile registration teams were also established to better reach unregistered Syrian exiles. In addition, UNHCR distributed more then 196 000 tents to refugees living in camps or informal sites in the neighbouring countries of Syria. Schools and psycho-social support facilities were established and more than 5.7 million blankets, 4.9 million mattresses and 870 000 kitchen sets were distributed. For the cold winter season UNHCR provided insulation of tents, thermal blankets, stoves, clothing and fuel, heating of schools, and cash grant schemes. Inside Syria, UNHCR was able to reach over 3.2 million people delivering more than 8 million various core relief items.
In 2013, Finland was UNHCR’s 15th largest donor. Of Finland’s total support of USD 27.2 million, USD 9.1 million was unearmarked support. USD 7.8 million was earmarked for the Syria emergency. USD 7 million was targeted towards Africa, in particular the Somali refugee situation and the emergencies in Mali, South Sudan and Central African Republic. USD 2.6 million was earmarked mainly for protracted refugee situations in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iran.
For 2014 Finland has so far supported UNHCR with USD 9.5 million to UNHCR operations worldwide; USD 4.1 million to the Syria situation; USD 2.8 million to South-West Asia (Afghanistan, Iran and Pakistan); USD 2.1 million to Ethiopia; USD 2.1 million to Kenya; USD 1.4 million to the Myanmar situation; and USD 137,931 to Confidence Building Measures in Western Sahara.
Page 3 of 7
-
From emergency to long-term response: UNHCR co-organized Nordic seminar on temporary protection for refugees from Ukraine
20.12.2022UNHCR and Nordic Council of Ministers brought together public authorities, academia and civil society actors from across the Nordic region to discuss protection of refugees from Ukraine in the different countries.
-
A record-high number have received temporary protection – now the work on a longer-term response begins
07.12.2022Joint press release from UNHCR’s Representation for the Nordic and Baltic Countries and Nordic Council of Ministers.
-
Examining Ukrainian refugees’ perspectives on reception, situation, and future
29.11.2022UNHCR and partners have organized focus group discussions with Ukrainian refugees in Denmark, Finland, and Sweden.
-
The UN refugee agency UNHCR and the Finnish Refugee Council: Government’s proposal does not address the obstacles to family reunification
16.11.2022The opinion piece was first published on 15 November 2022 by Aamulehti. We in Finland and in Europe have followed with shock how the heartbreaking war in Ukraine has torn apart homes and families. Even before the war in Ukraine, there were more than 89 million forcibly displaced people in […]
-
Providing water, food and shelter for people displaced on the Horn of Africa
18.10.2022Finland’s unearmarked funding allows UNHCR to respond to the worsening humanitarian crisis in Ethiopia.
-
New report from UNHCR and Save the Children: Finland’s earlier relocation of asylum-seeking children from Greece showcased good and child-friendly practices
13.10.2022UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and Save the Children Finland, today launch a joint assessment report on Finland’s relocation of 126 unaccompanied minors from Greece in 2020 and 2021 as part of the voluntary EU solidarity mechanism.
-
Strong and timely support to UNHCR has helped millions of displaced Ukrainians
19.09.2022The Nordic and Baltic countries responded fast in providing support, allowing UNHCR to provide both immediate and longer-term response to people fleeing the war in Ukraine.
-
Finnish Refugee Council announces the Refugees of the Year 2022 in Helsinki
20.06.2022UNHCR’s partner Finnish Refugee Council has chosen Lama Kourdi, from Tampere, as the Refugee Woman of the year 2022. The Refugee Man of the year 2022 is Aladdin Delli, also from Tampere, Finland.
-
Art exhibition with children’s drawings show universal importance of family in Helsinki
02.06.2022What does family mean to you? UNHCR asked refugee children in countries such as Libya, Mozambique, Bangladesh and Ethiopia to draw their answers. The results will be on display at Redi Shopping Center in Helsinki in June.
-
Two-year integration project kicks off across the Nordic and Baltic region
02.05.2022In May 2022, The Nordic Council of Ministers kicks off a comprehensive integration project in the Nordic and Baltic countries, supported by UNHCR.