The Abu Dhabi-based spokesman for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has spoken of the dire situation over the past year faced by Syrian refugees fleeing their war-torn country.
“The Syrian humanitarian situation got progressively worse last year and the number of refugees registered increased five times compared to the previous year, with an average of 5,000 refugees everyday,” said Mohammed Abu Asaker, public information and communications officer at UNHCR.
“This shows how big the situation is and this indicates that the demand for aid and help is very high.”
The number of refugees during 2013 grew at an alarming rate from 500,000 to 2.3 million – including 1.2 million children. The displaced reside in camps equipped with 196,000 tents and 809,000 plastic tarpaulins across Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt.
The number of formal refugee camps has nearly doubled from 19 camps at the end of 2012 to 37 one year later. Lebanon hosts the largest number of refugees with 850,000 registered or awaiting registration across 1,700 locations; Turkey hosts 21 camps, Iraq has 12 and Jordan has three.
But while 400,000 refugees reside in formal camps, nearly two million remain outside these formal settlements.
Displaced citizens continue to receive vital aid from UNHCR along with over 145 fellow relief agencies, host countries and generous donors.
Schools, child-friendly spaces and psycho-social support facilities have been established in the camps to provide further assistance to refugees.
Winter proves a trying time for those displaced. UNICEF has distributed tens of thousands of winter clothes, footwear, thermal blankets, stoves and fuel as well as providing insulation for tents.
The UNHCR also works to reach internally displaced people inside Syria to provide aid for the 3.2 million citizens across the country’s 14 governorates.
Last month, the UN announced that they anticipate the number of Syrian refugees will reach 4.1 million this year, including two million children.
Abu Asaker reiterated the need for the support of residents and organisations in the capital “in order to continue providing life-saving services and enable us to help the Syrian refugees in this difficult time.”
In-kind donations such as clothing and blankets can be made to the UAE Red Crescent. Visit: www.rcuae.ae
