Syria Today | UNHCR funding cut in half

UNHCR funding cut in half

Funding for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’ (UNHCR) Iraqi refugee operations in Syria for 2009 has dropped by almost 50 percent, according to the UNHCR annual report for 2008 released last month.

The current approved funding for UNHCR Syria, which heads the Iraqi refugee relief effort in the country, totals USD 54.5m for 2009, compared with USD 103.5m for 2008. The aid agency says the funding shortfall, which comes as the global financial crisis tightens its grip on donors, means some Iraqi refugee support programmes will be put on hold.

“The situation is worrying because it means we will have to start choosing between which projects we implement and which we defer, but all of our programmes are vital for supporting the refugees here,” UNHCR regional spokesperson Sybella Wilkes said.

UNHCR funds for its regional Iraq operations in 2008 amounted to USD 265.9m. The US was the largest donor, contributing USD 175.4m to the budget, followed by the European Commission which gave USD 14.5m. The Iraqi government was the third largest donor, contributing USD 8m, followed by Sweden which gave USD 6.8m.

The UNHCR has not specified which programmes it will delay following this year’s budget shortfalls. At present, 224,343 Iraqi refugees in Syria are registered with the UNHCR out of an estimated Iraqi population of 1.2 million in the country. Some 38,234 individuals depend on the UNHCR for direct financial assistance while 114.4m on food and humanitarian aid.

“Growing numbers of refugees whose savings have run low are now registering with us for assistance,” Wilkes said. “Funding for our operations in Syria is essential.”

The UNHCR report also referred to figures provided by Syria’s Ministry of Education which said that the number of Iraqi students registered in Syrian public schools in 2008 had dropped to 32,425 from 49,132 for 2007. The decrease in enrolment rates stems from financial hardships and the need to earn money, returns to Iraq and resettlement to a third country and a lack of certificates for registration, the report said.

Iraqi refugee resettlement figures from February 2007 to December 2008 reveal only 7,714 out of 21,350 refugees submitted for resettlement to a third country have departed. The UK has taken in 19 Iraqi refugees in the past two years out of a total of 93 submitted for resettlement consideration. The US took in 5,912 refugees, just over a third of the total submitted for resettlement, while France accepted 79. Canada took in 703 refugees out of a total of 2,254, while Norway took in 165 out of 285.