UK announces £50m new support for vulnerable Syrians

Press release

UK announces £50m new support for vulnerable Syrians

UK announces £50 million package of international aid to help the most vulnerable Syrians, including refugees across the region.

• UK announces £50 million package of international aid to help the most vulnerable Syrians, including refugees across the region.
• £120,000 of UK funding has also​ been made available to the Organisation of the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).
• UK agrees to a set of core principles with inclusion and the protection of human rights ​as key considerations.

The UK has today (Sunday 15th December) committed £50 million of humanitarian aid to support the Syrian people in their hour of need as part of efforts to build long-term security and stability across the Middle East.

Following the welcome fall of Bashar Al-Assad's regime, the Foreign Secretary ​has announced new emergency aid that will be delivered through UN and NGO agencies to help the most vulnerable Syrians, both in Syria, and in Lebanon and Jordan.

The UK joined talks in Aqaba yesterday, hosted by Jordan and attended by Ministers and representatives of the Arab Contact Group, Bahrain, Qatar, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the European Union, United Nations, France, Germany and the US, where participants expressed commitment to principles that they believe are in the best interests of the Syrian people, the region and the world at this critical time.

This includes the need for an inclusive, non-sectarian and representative government formed through a process based on the principles of UN Security Council resolution 2254 and support for the UN Special Envoy mandate. Participants stressed the need for protection of human rights, unfettered access for humanitarian aid, safe destruction of chemical weapons stockpiles and importance of combatting terrorism and extremism. The UK urges the transitional government to adhere to these principles to build a more hopeful, secure and peaceful Syria.

UK funding will enable an urgent scale-up of humanitarian assistance when needs are at their highest, and support delivery of essential public services in Syria. In addition, urgent humanitarian support to Lebanon and Jordan will reduce the likelihood of vulnerable Syrians having to make perilous journeys to leave Syria and the region.

In Syria, where over 16 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance, £30 million of UK support will help provide immediate help to more than a million people including food, shelter, emergency healthcare, and protection for the most vulnerable, as well as support emerging needs including the rehabilitation of essential services such as water, hospitals and schools.

Alongside the humanitarian announcement, the Foreign Secretary has also set out new funding to support the OPCW's work in Syria. The use of chemical weapons in Syria under the Assad regime exacted a horrendous human toll and must never be repeated. A £120,000 package for the OPCW will support its missions to rid Syria of chemical weapons and help the interim Syrian Government fulfil its commitment to protect chemical weapons sites and never use these weapons under any circumstances.

Foreign Secretary David Lammy said:

The fall of the horrific Assad Regime provides a once-in-a-generation chance for the people of Syria.

We're committed to supporting the Syrian people as they chart a new course. First, by providing £50 million in new food, healthcare and aid to support the humanitarian needs of vulnerable Syrians. Second, by working diplomatically to help secure better governance in Syria's future. > This weekend the UK and its partners came together to agree the principles required to support a Syrian-led transitional political process. It is vital that the future Syrian government brings together all groups to establish the stability and respect the Syrian people deserve.

​ Anneliese Dodds, Minister for Development, said:

The humanitarian situation in parts of Syria is dire, and there are large numbers of Syrian refugees in neighbouring countries.

This speedy aid will support Syrians in immediate need including with emergency healthcare and food, and will provide psychosocial and educational support for displaced Syrian children".

The remaining money in the package will be split between £10 million for the World Food Programme (WFP) in Lebanon and £10 million in Jordan through WFP and the UN's Refugee Agency, UNHCR, to help Syrian refugees hosted in those countries.

Since 2012, the UK has provided over £4.3 billion in aid to assist Syrians across the region (Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq, and Egypt).

This weekend's talks in Jordan follow a week of intensive engagement with regional partners following the fall of the regime. The Prime Minister met counterparts in the region on a visit to the Gulf this week and has spoken with G7 partners; and the Foreign Secretary has held a range of calls with the Turkish, Qatari, Israeli, Iraqi and Jordanian Foreign Ministers as well as the UN Special Representative for Syria.

Notes to editors:

Within the £30 million of humanitarian aid in Syria, up to £24 million will be provided to the UN including supporting:

• Two UN OCHA-led Syria Pooled Funds (multi sector emergency needs),
• UNICEF (Education, Health, Nutrition, Water and Sanitation and Child Protection), and
• UNFPA (SGBV Prevention, Protection of Women and Girls, Mental Health & Psychosocial support). 

The remaining funds - up to £6 million - will be provided to:

• The UK-supported emergency Health NGO (Emergency trauma and healthcare, mobile health clinics) and
• Another Multi-Donor Pooled Fund, The Aid Fund for Northern Syria (multi sector emergency needs).
• The funding announced today is on top of the £11 million of humanitarian aid for Syria that was announced on 9 December.

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Published 15 December 2024