LONDON, Feb 3 (KUNA) -- The UNRWA appealed to donors for USD 414 million to meet the critical humanitarian needs of Palestinian refugees affected by the conflict in Syria, which is now entering its sixth year.
The Agency's 2016 appeal for the Syria Regional Crisis aims to support 450,000 Palestinian refugees inside Syria, as well as the 60,000 who have fled to Lebanon and Jordan, UNRWA Commissioner-General Pierre Krahenbuhl said in a press release on Wednesday.
"In the midst of the broader Syrian tragedy. It is critical that the plight of the Palestine refugee community is not underestimated or forgotten," he said.
Palestinian refugees have been dramatically affected, due to their proximity to conflict areas inside Syria, rates of poverty and the tenuous legal status of those forced to flee to Lebanon and Jordan.
Over 60 percent of those remaining inside Syria (280,000) are internally displaced and an estimated 95 percent (430,000) are in need of sustained humanitarian assistance. Those include tens of thousands who are trapped in areas of active conflict, with extremely constrained access to humanitarian assistance. Around 42,000 Palestinian refugees from Syria (PRS) have fled to Lebanon and 18,000 to Jordan.
Despite major operational challenges, UNRWA is able to provide emergency assistance alongside its well-established programs in health, education, relief, social services, infrastructure and camp improvement.
Out of the Agency's total emergency appeal funding requirements of USD 414 million, USD 329 million will support the humanitarian needs of Palestinian refugees in Syria, USD 63 million will support the humanitarian needs of PRS and USD 17 million will support humanitarian needs of PRS in Jordan.
A USD 4.7 million is required for emergency response outside of the purview of these three field offices. (end) nfm.mt