UN warns funding cuts threaten aid to Syrian refugees and hosts, as Brussels conference opens

UNITED NATIONS. KAZINFORM As a major international conference on Syria gets underway in Brussels, United Nations agencies have warned that a sluggish financial support by Member States would put vital assistance for millions of refugees and the communities hosting them at risk.  

"The situation is getting desperate," said UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi in a news release on the Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan (3RP) for 2017, a funding appeal launched in January that calls for $4.63 billion in vital assistance for refugees and host communities.
To date, only $433 million, or just 9 per cent, of the amount requested has been received.

"We recognise and applaud the donations made so far, but the simple truth is that funding isn't keeping up with needs," added Mr. Grandi.
In its seventh year, the conflict in Syria remains the largest humanitarian challenge in the world - with 13.5 million men, women and children inside Syria in need of urgent assistance. There are now more than 5 million Syrian refugees living in Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey, and many more have made the dangerous journey to Europe and farther afield.

The Brussels Conference on Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region, being held today and tomorrow, aims to rev up funding support.
The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) are extremely concerned by the current low funding levels.

Without additional funding, all areas of assistance will be curtailed this year. Food and cash assistance will be reduced or cut by mid-year, challenging stability and security in the region

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