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News story: Syria crisis: Latest updates on UK aid

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Updated: Updated with £30 million allocation for Syrian children

The crisis in Syria is gravely concerning. Hundreds of people are being killed or wounded every day and millions have been forced to flee.

Video: See how UK aid is helping Syrians who have fled the fighting

See how UK aid is helping Syrian refugees

The UK has committed £400 million to help those affected by the conflict. This is the UK’s largest ever response to a humanitarian crisis. It will provide support including food, medical care and relief items for over a million people including those affected by the fighting in Syria and to refugees in Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey and Iraq.

Factsheet: The UK's humanitarian aid response to the Syria crisis and region (16 September 2013)

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Latest news

Justine Greening: Syrian children must not become a lost generation (23 September 2013)

Millions of Syrian children are at risk of becoming a lost generation, International Development Secretary Justine Greening warned today as she launched a £30 million UK initiative to provide desperately needed help including trauma counselling and education.

The new programme will reach Syrian children across the region whose lives have been turned upside down by the ongoing conflict, with an initial focus on those in Lebanon and Jordan.

Speaking ahead of the UN General Assembly in New York, Ms Greening called on international leaders to follow the UK’s lead. Stepping up to meet funding shortfalls would send a clear message to the children of Syria that the world had not forgotten them.

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UK aid to help thousands more people affected by ongoing Syria crisis (17 September 2013)

The UK has set out more details of what will be achieved by our humanitarian aid to both Syrian refugees and those still in need inside Syria; they include:

  • help in generating income from livestock for about 30,000 refugee households in Lebanon
  • shelter, blankets, and clothing for 65,000 vulnerable people within Syria
  • shelter for 11,500 refugees in Lebanon
  • counselling, legal and education services for 13,700 refugees

These latest programme allocations are:

£10 million to the Food and Agriculture Organisation to support Syrian refugees and local communities in Lebanon to generate a sustainable income through livestock production. 3,180 households will receive training; 2,367 help with feeding their livestock and 27,340 with vital vaccination to protect their livestock against disease.

£3.7 million to the International Organisation for Migration to provide up to 65,000 displaced individuals with lifesaving assistance through shelter and non-food items distribution. It will also support better information management to ensure that aid gets to those who need it, in time and in a cost effective way.

£3 million to the Norwegian Refugee Council to provide shelter, essential non-food items such as blankets and clothing and access to counselling and legal assistance, as well as providing education and recreation facilities for refugee youth. The funding will provide shelter for 11,500 vulnerable individuals affected by the Syria crisis and provide counselling, legal and education services for 13,700 refugees in Lebanon.

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Act now and step up support for Syria’s refugee children, says Greening (9 September 2013)

The international community must act now or risk a lost generation of Syrian children, International Development Secretary Justine Greening said during a visit to Jordan today.

More countries must step up their support for refugee children if Syria is to have a peaceful, viable future, she said.

Ms Greening set out how the UK will spend over £20 million to help Jordan respond to the Syrian crisis, including healthcare, food and clean drinking water for hundreds of thousands of refugees as well as counselling and psychological care for 25,000 children. These allocations bring total UK support to Jordan to £87 million.

The International Development Secretary visited Za’atari refugee camp, as well as the town of Mafraq, where host communities have opened their doors to Syrian refugees, and saw how UK support is helping to provide schools and education materials for refugee children.

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The world must not fail a generation of Syrians (6 September 2013)

The world risks failing a generation of Syrians if aid agencies don’t get safe access to reach people in desperate need inside the country, Prime Minister David Cameron warned today.

Speaking from the G20, the Prime Minister announced that the UK will provide £52 million in new humanitarian funding. This brings the UK’s total funding to £400 million, double the £200 million of the UK’s largest previous response to a humanitarian crisis.

The Prime Minister called for a strong and united push from G20 leaders for safe, unimpeded access for humanitarian workers inside Syria, including safe routes for aid convoys and the lifting of bureaucratic hurdles imposed by the regime. This would ensure aid agencies can deliver life-saving help when and where it is needed.

The new support from the UK will help reach those in desperate need as a result of the ongoing conflict across the region, including the women and children who make up the majority of refugee numbers and are amongst the most vulnerable in the conflict. The new support would enable aid agencies to:

Inside Syria:

  • provide food to nearly 23,000 people and clean water for over 130,000 people
  • shelter for over 44,000 people forced out of their homes by the fighting and
  • medical consultations for over 35,000 people.

In neighbouring countries:

  • provide food for 21,000 Syrian refugees and clean water for over 14,000
  • shelter for 15,000 people and
  • over 6,000 health consultations.

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Two million people have now fled Syria (3 September 2013)

The number of refugees forced to flee fighting in Syria has reached 2 million people, the United Nations has revealed today – half of whom are children.

The milestone means around 1 in 10 of Syria’s pre-war population have now fled the country.

The UN’s refugee agency (UNHCR) estimates that an average of 5,000 Syrians are crossing its borders into neighbouring countries every day to seek safety.

International Development Secretary Justine Greening said:

It’s shocking that there are now 2 million Syrian refugees. The number has doubled in the last 6 months alone.

Neighbouring countries who have accepted these refugees have shown huge generosity but also shouldered huge burdens. Britain has given its largest ever response to a humanitarian crisis. The international community must follow this lead and provide the long term support needed for host countries to cope.

The UK is responding accordingly, with British support providing:

  • food for over 285,000 people every month
  • clean drinking water for almost 1 million people
  • almost 300,000 medical consultations
  • and over 300,000 relief items such as blankets and kitchen sets

Within Syria, more than 4 million people have had to flee their homes, while more than 100,000 people have been killed. Syria now has more displaced people than any other country with around a third of its population forced from their homes.

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A million children forced to flee fighting (23 August 2013)

The number of children forced to flee Syria has now reached 1 million, the United Nations has said today in a new report.

The UN’s refugee agency (UNHCR) and children’s charity (UNICEF) say millions more also need help within the country.

International Development Secretary Justine Greening said:

As we saw again this week, children in Syria are being exposed to unimaginable horrors. These children are extremely vulnerable and will be amongst the most at risk as fighting continues.

One million child refugees, the majority younger than 11, is a truly shocking milestone but the world must not forget the estimated 3.1 million children still in need of help inside Syria.

The UK is working with the UNHCR, UNICEF and partners to help children caught up in the crisis – from food and clothing to education and trauma counselling. Across the region, this includes:

  • education for almost 35,000 children
  • counselling for 13,000 child refugees and their families
  • emergency food for over 285,000 people a month

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UN reports Syria death toll now above 100,000 (25 July 2013)

Responding to the United Nations report of deaths reaching 100,000 in the conflict in Syria, International Development Secretary Justine Greening said:

“The deaths of 100,000 people as a result of the conflict in Syria demonstrate the scale of the ongoing tragedy and the desperate need for real action from the international community.

“The British Government continues to lead the international response with medical help, food, shelter and clean water. Other donors must now honour their funding promises and it is time that all parties to the conflict allow humanitarian access to all areas of Syria.

“I call on all sides to respect the work of humanitarian agencies and to move towards a political resolution to this crisis.”

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How you can help

Disasters Emergency Committee Syria Crisis Appeal

The best way to help those hit by the crisis is to donate to the DEC appeal.

Responding to the launch of the DEC Syria Crisis Appeal, International Development Secretary, Justine Greening said:

“We welcome the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) appeal to do more for people in desperate need. This conflict continues to cause appalling suffering. Over four million people in Syria are in urgent need of assistance and a million refugees need humanitarian support.

“The British Government has led the international response with medical help, food, shelter and clean water but more needs to be done. Other donors must honour their funding promises and it is time that all parties to the conflict allow humanitarian access to all areas of Syria.”

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How the UK is helping

In Syria, UK aid has already delivered:

  • £113 million of assistance to help people affected by conflict, including in opposition held and contested areas
  • Food for over 156,000 people through our partner the World Food Programme
  • Shelter and relief items to over 305,000 persons affected by the violence

In neighbouring countries, British support has already provided:

  • £59 million of assistance to help Syrian refugees and host communities in the region
  • Safe drinking water and sanitation services (toilets and latrines) to almost 100,000 people in Jordan and Lebanon
  • Shelter and essential relief item supplies for more than 84,000 people

For all the figures on what UK aid is being spent on and where, download our factsheet.

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Views from the field

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Facts and stats

  • 6.8 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance in Syria
  • Over 4.25 million people have been driven out of their homes by the fighting to other areas of Syria
  • There are now over 2 million refugees in neighbouring countries
  • Total UK humanitarian funding committed to the response is £400 million to date
  • Our humanitarian assistance is provided through neutral and impartial agencies and is wholly separate from UK support for the opposition.
  • All UK funding is going to humanitarian agencies with a proven ability to operate in Syria and neighbouring countries
  • The UK remains at the forefront of international efforts to support an effective response, led by the United Nations.

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