São Paulo – The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), announced this Thursday (23) that it needs US$ 417.4 million during the year of 2014 for the 440,000 Palestine refugees affected by the conflict in Syria, as well as another 100,000 Palestine refugees who fled Syria to other countries such as Lebanon, Jordan and the Gaza Strip.
“The new appeal is our fifth appeal for the Syria crisis, but the first that spans the full year. This appeal is important because it tells the specific story of the Palestine refugees’ experience in this horrible conflict”, said UNRWA Deputy Commissioner-General Margot Ellis, during the announcement of the Syria Response Plan Update, according to a UN press release.
From the total sum, US$ 310 million are intended for Palestinians still in Syria, US$ 90.4 million for those in Lebanon, and US$ 14.6 million for those in Jordan. Another US$ 2.4 million will be used by the three UNRWA offices, which offer financial assistance for the Palestinian families that left Syria and moved to Gaza, as well as meeting the regional coordination general needs.
“Palestine refugees are among those who are most affected in Syria, because they suffered poverty long before the war raged. They are in a difficult situation now with no place to go,” said the director of UNRWA Affairs in Syria, Michael Kingsley-Nyinah.
According to the United Nations announcement, among the thousands of Palestine refugees that fled the Syrian conflict for neighboring countries, those who are in Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt encounter living conditions and legal situations that are so unfavorable, many prefer to go back to Syria.
*Translated by Sílvia Lindsey
