More funding for Syrian refugee response and better shelters for over 9,000 refugees in camps
Amman, 4 December, 2024 (UNHCR) – The Republic of Korea is boosting its support to Syrian refugees in Jordan through UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, in two ways still this year – through an increased contribution to UNHCR’s programme for Syrian refugees and a dedicated shelter intervention improving living conditions in camps.
The Government of Korea has increased its contribution to UNHCR’s work for all Syrian refugees, most of whom are living in towns and villages amid Jordanians. After providing USD 1 million in 2023, Korea boosted its support to UNHCR in Jordan to USD 1.5 million in 2024. This makes Korea one of the few countries that are not decreasing contributions but accompanying Jordan in its noble task of hosting a large refugee population with more resources. With this support, UNHCR will be able to further assist refugees in Jordan in line with the Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan (3RP), a strategic platform for coordinating and delivering pressing humanitarian aid and development assistance to refugee and host communities impacted by the Syria crisis.
In addition, KOICA, the Korea International Cooperation Agency, supports UNHCR’s shelter programme with USD 6.6 million which will improve the housing conditions for over 9,000 refugee women, men and children in Azraq and Zaatari camps from 2024 to 2026. The intervention will enable UNHCR to provide new homes and rehabilitate old shelters as many have exceeded their life span and are in a poor condition.
These two streams of assistance come at a challenging time when UNHCR does not have sufficient donor funding to repair all the shelters in camps in need of repair nor to cover all the needs of vulnerable Syrian refugees. UNHCR’s Socio-Economic Survey on Refugees in Jordan 2024 found increasing vulnerabilities, including issues with unrepaired shelters that increase refugees’ exposure to extreme weather linked to climate change such as heavy rains or sandstorms.
“Providing adequate shelter is fundamental to the dignity and safety of refugees, especially for women, girls, and individuals with specific needs”, said UNHCR Representative Maria Stavropoulou. “We are grateful to the Government of Korea and KOICA for their crucial support to address urgent needs and build stronger communities.”
H.E. Pilwoo Kim, Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to Jordan praised UNHCR’s significant role in supporting Syrian refugees across the region and expressed his confidence that UNHCR’s expertise and dedication will lead to successful outcomes for refugees, stating, “What UNHCR has offered is not just life-saving humanitarian assistance, but also hope and courage to help them regain dignity and self-reliance.” He stressed that Korea’s contribution to UNHCR is also an expression of solidarity with Jordan, which hosts over 600,000 Syrian refugees despite its huge socio-economic challenges. KOICA’s Country Director So Young Kim echoed this strong commitment: “We are proud to partner with UNHCR on the vital shelter initiative which also fosters refugees’ self-reliance and enhances environmental sustainability in host communities. This aligns with our government’s commitment to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals”, she said.
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For more information: Roland Schönbauer, + 962 79 119 25 32, [email protected]
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