UN and Partners launch plan to support over five million Syrian refugees and Countries hosting them

Amman/Geneva, 12 December 2017 – United Nations Agencies and NGO partners today released the 2018 Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan (3RP), a USD 4.4 billion plan designed to support over five million refugees from Syria and the vulnerable communities hosting them in neighbouring countries.

Seven years on, the conflict in Syria continues — devastating lives and forcing millions to flee from their homes. Despite the generosity showed by neighbouring countries, most Syrian refugee families — and many in their host communities — fall below the poverty line and struggle to meet basic needs.

The 3RP aims to address these challenges, bringing together the vital efforts of some 270 humanitarian and development partners, in support of national efforts, to ensure refugees and host communities receive the support they desperately need.

“The conflict in Syria continues to drive the largest refugee crisis in the world,” said Amin Awad, UNHCR Director for the Middle East and North Africa Bureau and Regional Refugee Coordinator for Syria and Iraq. “While we hope that a political solution is soon on the horizon, it is vital that we continue our support to Syrian refugee families whose needs and challenges increase with every passing year in displacement,” he added.

The situation for the 1.7 million Syrian refugee school-age children remains particularly worrying. “While partners have worked to enroll almost one million children already, over 40 per cent of school-age Syrian refugee children remain out of school. These children are truly becoming part of a lost generation. We must collectively do better in 2018,” Awad stressed.

Since its inception four years ago, the 3RP has been at the forefront of international efforts to help neighbouring countries deal with the impact of the Syria crisis, which has taken an increasingly significant social and economic toll as the conflict has continued unabated.

“We must recognize the tremendous efforts made by countries and communities hosting refugees from Syria, providing vital and generous support even while facing their own challenges,” said Mourad Wahba, Director of the UNDP Regional Bureau for Arab States. “As the Syria crisis has become more protracted, host countries have shouldered more of the responsibility for meeting the growing needs of refugees while continuing to support vulnerable communities hosting them. The international community must strengthen its support for host countries in this vital effort.”

“3RP partners are pioneers in strengthening the link between humanitarian and development interventions which meet immediate humanitarian needs, while boosting livelihoods, expanding access to critical infrastructure and fostering community development in the longer term,” Wahba added. “Together, the international community should continue its highest-level support for this coherent approach.”

The 3RP aims to help 5.3 million refugees and 3.9 million members of host communities in 2018 in various sectors, including protection for refugee populations, education, health, food security, livelihoods, and water and sanitation services.

“The reality is that daily life is a struggle for Syrian refugees, and host countries continue to provide a global public good. The international community must not lose sight of them nor the continued need to shoulder their burden,” stressed Awad. “In such a volatile region, there is too much at stake, and all 3RP partners look to the international community to generously support our efforts as much as possible.”