UN announces $5.5bn plan to support Syria refugees, host countries

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) together with some 270 NGO and humanitarian partners have launched the Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan worth $5.5 billion, UNHCR said in a statement yesterday.

The plan aims to support national efforts in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt and Iraq to deal with the ongoing impact of the Syrian crisis.

According to the statement, nearly one million Syrians have been born in countries neighbouring Syria.

UNHCR Director for the Middle East and North Africa Bureau and Regional Refugee Coordinator for Syria and Iraq, Amin Awad called on the international community to support the plan, pointing out that 5.6 million Syrian refugees are registered in the region.

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According to Awad, Turkey hosts the largest number of Syrian refugees, with 3.6 million registered Syrians adding that “the Turkish government bears much of the costs of the newly born Syrians”.

Syrians in Turkey have the right to work, education and health services, he said, adding that Turkey’s treatment of them “is a model to be followed”.