Syria Crisis

Government of Austria Signs Agreements for EUR 7.7 Million to Support UNRWA Programme Budget
Today, the Government of Austria signed a multi-year agreement (MYA) for 2020-2022 amounting to a total of EUR 5.7 million with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). This MYA will support the UNRWA Health Programme in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt). In addition, the parties signed a EUR 2 million agreement towards services under the Agency’s Syria Regional Crisis Emergency Appeal in 2020. The contribution from Austria for the UNRWA Health Programme will support the protection of Palestine refugees’ health and will reduce their...
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Syria: UNRWA - Humanitarian Snapshot, May 2020
Updated Flash Appeal Launched for COVID19- Response

Meanwhile, UNRWA continued to deliver basic services and humanitarian assistance to Palestine refugees during the month of May, while navigating ongoing preventative measures in...
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Supporting the future of Syria and the region
Nearly 10 years into the conflict in Syria, some 440,000 Palestine refugees remain in the country.
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Countries Raise $130 Million for UNRWA and Commit Long-Term Support to Palestine Refugees
At pledging conference, international donor community comes together to sustain funding for renewed UNRWA mandate
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updated UNRWA flash appeal for the covid-19 response
The COVID-19 pandemic is an unprecedented global public health crisis. As of 5 May, there have been more than 3.5 million confirmed cases around the world and 245,150 deaths reported to the World Health Organization. Almost all countries have now been affected, including the five fields of UNRWA...
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Parenthood In War: One Father’s Ongoing Struggle to Support his Family
Ismaeel Abbas, a 61-year-old Palestine refugee from rural Damascus, never imagined his senior years would be filled with hardship.
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UNRWA Launches 2020 Budget Appeal for US$ 1.4 Billion
The Acting Commissioner-General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), Christian Saunders, today called for a minimum of US$ 1.4 billion to fund the Agency’s essential services and assistance, including life-saving humanitarian aid and priority projects, for 5.6 million registered Palestine refugees across the Middle East for the year 2020.
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Palestine refugees from Syria have been severely affected by the ongoing armed conflict. Of the total 438,000 Palestine refugees from Syria, the vast majority require assistance. Click here to read more.

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Facts and Figures

CASH ASSISTANCE

Cash assistance is a dignified, cost-effective and flexible tool to address the most immediate and urgent needs of vulnerable refugees in crisis. By allowing conflict-affected civilians to independently determine and meet their respective essential priorities, short-term cash assistance boosts individual coping strategies and enables refugees to allocate scarce financial resources to their own household priorities.

In 2018, cash assistance remains the priority intervention in Syria, Lebanon and Jordan. The purpose of the regular cash assistance component is to cover basic needs such as food, non-food items (NFI) and shelter.

In Syria, UNRWA is running one of the largest cash assistance programmes anywhere in the world, helping Palestine refugees to meet part of their humanitarian needs with the dignity of choice. In 2018, UNRWA plans to distribute cash grants to 418,000 refugees. Through its partners, comprising a network of banks and private companies present in all regions of Syria, UNRWA provides cash assistance in a flexible and timely manner with minimal financial risk.

In Lebanon, 95 per cent of PRS are food insecure and greatly rely on UNRWA support to cover their basic needs. In 2018, 34,000 Palestine refugees from Syria (PRS) will receive a monthly multipurpose cash grant.

In Jordan, cash will be distributed in 2018 to 17,100 vulnerable and extremely vulnerable PRS. The purpose of the regular cash assistance component is to cover basic needs such as food, NFIs and shelter.

Click here to learn more about refugee camps prior to the start of the conflict in Syria.

Gap 100.00

Coverage 0.00

Funding Requirements

The Agency has reduced its appeal from US$ 277 million in 2019 to US$ 212 million in 2020 to preserve life-saving humanitarian assistance to Palestine refugees affected by the Syria regional crisis. Although the needs for Palestine refugees remain the same, with over per cent living below the poverty line, this reduction is based on projected funding trends and reflects the unprecedented funding crisis faced by UNRWA in 2019. In Syria, UNRWA continues to provide cash assistance to about 418,000 Palestine refugees to support them in meeting their basic needs. UNRWA is also the main provider of basic health care for more than 438,000 Palestine refugees estimated to remain inside Syria, as well as providing education to more than 51,000 students. In nine official camps, the Agency ensures access to basic services, including water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH).

Total Appeal$212,846,000

Received to Date$0

Gap$212,846,000

Gap100.00%

Coverage0.00%

The Syria Crisis

Into the eighth year of conflict, conditions in Syria remain volatile and marked by continuing and intense armed violence and limited humanitarian access. Amid this unconscionable bloodshed and destruction, Palestine refugees remain particularly vulnerable and have been disproportionately affected by the conflict, due to their proximity to conflict areas inside Syria, high rates of poverty, and the tenuous legal status of those forced to flee to Lebanon and Jordan. The timeline below tells their story.

WITH THANKS YOU TO OUR DONORS

Our ability to respond depends on the generosity of donors and the guarantee of safe and consistent access to those in need, in accordance with international law. We urge donors to maintain and increase their support in 2018 to mitigate the humanitarian impacts of the crisis in Syria, enhance the protection of civilians and prevent further suffering. We call on all parties to the Syria conflict to urgently pursue a negotiated solution and put an end to the violence, destruction, and violation of rights, dignity and humanity.