UNHCR welcomes Australian pledge to resettle an additional 12,000 Syrian refugees

CANBERRA, Australia - UNHCR welcomes the announcement made by the Australian Prime Minister, the Honourable Tony Abbott, to resettle an additional 12,000 refugees and provide an extra AUD 44 million dollars in financial support to assist with the dramatic Syrian refugee crisis.

UNHCR welcomes the announcement made by the Australian Prime Minister, the Honourable Tony Abbott to resettle an additional 12,000 refugees and provide an extra AUD 44 million dollars in financial support to assist with the dramatic Syrian refugee crisis.

The Prime Minister’s announcement comes at a crucial time when UNHCR is stretched to capacity in meeting the needs of the most desperate.

In Syria the five year crisis is worsening to brutal levels as rocket attacks intensify in Damascus, heavy bombardment in Zabandi and vehicle explosions throughout major cities, resulting in 7.6 million internally displaced Syrians and an additional four million who have been forced to flee their country in search of protection and security.

The States receiving asylum seekers are overwhelmed as they attempt to respond to the vast needs of refugees, many of whom are desperate women and children.

Syrian refugees are encountering extreme levels of poverty due to funding shortfalls for refugee programmes. Families are forced to remove their children from school and resort to begging on the streets in despair and desperation.

As winter approaches there is still a critical shortfall of USD 2.85 billion resulting in drastic cuts for the bare necessities for refugees. Food assistance has had to be cut by 30 per cent and many families will find themselves short of life – saving items.

It is under these circumstances that UNHCR warmly receives Australia’s announcement in committing to resettle an additional 12,000 refugees and provide extra AUD 44 million in financial assistance to aid Syrian refugees.