NEW YORK, Oct 30 (KUNA) -- Syrian crisis and its fall-out is the biggest humanitarian crisis faced by the world, Operations Director of the UN Office of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) John Ging said.
The situation is a disaster for millions of people, Ging said at a news conference held at the UN headquarters after his recent trip to Lebanon, Jordan, and Iraq. "Sadly and tragically," the situation gets worse, he warned.
The OCHA official confirms some 200,000 people have been killed in Syria, 10.8 million others are in need for humanitarian assistance, and 3.2 million have fled to neighboring countries, whereas 6.2 million Syrians are internally displaced.
Ging said 2.8 million children are out of school, which means a risk of losing a whole generation in terms of fair opportunity for a productive life in the future.
Furthermore, the Syrian crisis spilled over into Iraq and resulted in humanitarian needs, estimated at USD 5.2 million, however the humanitarian assistance programs have been "chronically underfunded." He thanked the neighboring countries, namely Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon, for sharing the burden, and called on the international community to aid them financially. That is to help them with infrastructure development required to be able to continue to deliver their public service, he said. "Not only for refugees, but also for their own populations," he added.
A massive engagement is needed to support the neighboring countries to cope with problems such overcrowded schools, sharing health facilities as well as competition for jobs by the refugees and these countries' natives, Ging concluded.(end) mao.gta