Amman (15th January 2014) – At the closing of the second Kuwait Donor Conference, the international aid organisation CARE urges governments to ensure that today’s pledges are quickly translated into aid delivery on the ground and further assistance will be made available. Governments have pledged a total of 2.4 billion USD out of a requested 6.5 billion USD, the biggest appeal ever launched by the United Nations to address urgently needed humanitarian assistance inside and outside Syria. The conference aimed to rally international financial support to meet the basic needs of more than ten million Syrians in need.
“Governments have shown great generosity in support for the Syria response, but the success of today’s pledges is still to be measured. Words alone are not enough, they must be followed by decisive action. Aid organisations need to plan for the ever growing and changing needs of this biggest humanitarian crisis of our times. To work effectively in difficult and dynamic contexts, funding needs to be time-bound, flexible and longer-term, so we can deliver aid to where it is needs most,” says Gareth Richards, Director for CARE’s Regional Syria Response. Furthermore, this funding needs to be accessible to the range of aid organisations working both inside Syria and in neighbouring countries. “The role played by non-governmental organisations has to be acknowledged and funded in a way which reflects them implementing the majority of programmes.” Only a small percentage of the funding is directly channelled to local civil society and international non-governmental organisations. CARE and other organisations had asked donors to give at least 25 percent of funds directly to support non-governmental organisations and civil society and diversify their funding.
Overall the 2013 UN Syria refugee appeal has been funded by 71 percent. However, individual country responses such as Egypt were funded less than 50 percent, thereby not reaching close to this average funding level. CARE and other organisations had called on donors to prioritize the most underfunded countries.
CARE also calls on donors to further step up support for neighbouring countries who are hosting millions of Syrian refugees. “We commend host countries for welcoming the many Syrians who have fled the violence and destruction back home. Without this incredible generosity, the humanitarian situation due to the Syria crisis would surely be far worse. The pledges in Kuwait are a good start, but the international community has yet to show more solidarity,” says Richards. The conflict has immense impacts on the entire region, including reduced trade flows and foreign investment, as well as revenues from tourism. Host governments have been repeatedly calling on the international community for emergency assistance to cope with the growing humanitarian crisis. According to Jordanian government estimates, the refugee crisis will cost the country over 2 billion USD this year. Host countries such as Lebanon and Jordan have developed national plans to cope with the refugee influx. “Many families are battling with the same challenges such as increased accommodation and living costs, and access to outstretched public services. Governments, the UN, donors and aid organisations have to work together as closely as possible and joining efforts to support these national resilience efforts to support both Syrian refugees and host communities whose lives have been severely impacted,” says Richards.
To read more about CARE's response to the Syrian Crisis, please click here.
About CARE:
Founded in 1945, CARE is a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty and providing lifesaving assistance in emergencies. CARE places special focus on working alongside poor girls and women because, equipped with the proper resources, they have the power to help lift whole families and entire communities out of poverty. CARE has been working in Jordan since 1948. CARE Jordan has extensive experience working with refugees, providing livelihood training and opportunities, emergency cash assistance, information sharing and psychosocial support to Iraqi refugees since 2003. Since the beginning of the Syria Crisis, CARE Jordan has supported more than 160,000 refugees with cash assistance to pay for basic living costs, assisted with vital information on how they can access further health, legal and social support and has provided psychosocial assistance to women, men and children. In Lebanon, CARE meets refugees’ most basic and pressing needs, mainly providing water, sanitation and shelter. In addition, CARE helps refugee families in Jordan and Lebanon to prepare and cope with the cold winter, distributing cash, heaters, fuel vouchers and blankets.