EU Increases Financial Support for Refugees in Syria’s Neighboring Countries

Arab World

June 5th, 6:29am

Brussels - Asharq Al-Awsat

Internally displaced children run inside a refugee camp in Dana town after fleeing Palmyra, in northern Idlib province, Syria April 2, 2016. REUTERS/Khalil Ashawi

The European Commission has proposed to increase support for refugees and host communities in response to the Syrian crisis by a total of 585 million euros. Out of the proposed amount, 100 million euros will go to Jordan and Lebanon, while 485 million euros will support refugees in Turkey in 2020. “The EU has consistently supported refugees in Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan for many years,” Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarcic said. “As the coronavirus threatens the most vulnerable, we cannot stop our lifesaving assistance. We are committed to helping the Syrian people and their host countries during these difficult times. EU humanitarian aid will help children attend school and support families in need.” Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement Oliver Varhelyi said the EU continues to show strong solidarity with Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey, as well as with the refugees they are hosting. “With no immediate end in sight of the Syrian crisis that continues to threaten the region, it is in the EU’s interest to increase support to reinforce the resilience of refugees and local communities that host them, especially in the current context of the coronavirus pandemic,” he said. EU projects will provide assistance in the areas of access to education, support to livelihoods and provision of health, sanitation, waste services and social protection to host communities and refugees in Jordan and Lebanon. In Turkey, If approved by Parliament and the Council, EU humanitarian funding to partner organizations will help extend two established projects until the end of next year. They are the Emergency Social Safety Net (ESSN) program and the Conditional Cash Transfers for Education’ (CCTE). Via the ESSN, the EU provides monthly financial assistance to more than 1.7 million refugees and the CCTE project helps over 600,000 refugee children regularly attend school. The newly announced funds will help extend the two programs until the end of next year. Leading European lawmakers welcomed the support package for Syrian refugees.

from Asharq AL-awsat https://english.aawsat.com/home/article/2318541/eu-increases-financial-support-refugees-syria%E2%80%99s-neighboring-countries