AMMAN — The
UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has reported a lack of assistance for refugees in the ongoing winter
season of 2023-2024 in the Middle East and North Africa region, including
Jordan, due to a funding shortage.
اضافة اعلان
In a recent report, the UNHCR revealed its
inability to provide essential aid, such as cash assistance and basic relief
aid, which had previously been offered to the most vulnerable
refugees and
displaced persons. This aid aimed to assist them in coping with severe weather
conditions prevalent in countries like Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, and Lebanon, which
collectively accommodate over 2.3 million registered refugees and asylum
seekers, Khaberni reported.
The UNHCR's winter strategy focuses on three
key areas: providing seasonal
cash assistance to vulnerable families,
distributing basic winter relief items like blankets and clothing, and
improving shelter and infrastructure in preparation for winter.
However, during the previous winter season of
2022-2023, the agency faced a funding shortfall, receiving only $103.2 million
out of the requested $250 million. Consequently, the agency was unable to
provide winter assistance in Egypt and reached fewer than 2.6 million refugees,
marking a significant decrease from the 2021-2022 winter season’s response.
In Jordan, the agency provided cash assistance
to over 116,500 refugee families, totaling about 473,600 individuals, both
inside and outside camps for the winter season. This assistance targeted the
most vulnerable families to address their increased basic needs during the
winter months. Additionally, the agency received over 60,000 pieces of winter
clothing from a clothing company and distributed them to refugees and
vulnerable Jordanians across the country in the last quarter of 2023.
Last winter, families receiving regular
assistance and those residing in camps received a ‘reduced’ package valued at
JD70 per family. Meanwhile, families not benefiting from cash assistance and
encountering severe risks were provided with JD95.
Due to reduced funding, the UNHCR announced a
reduction in cash support for refugees outside camps starting in May,
attributing it to decreased donor support. The agency cited insufficient
funding as the reason for reducing cash assistance starting in May 2024,
promising to continue supporting the most vulnerable groups, albeit with a 25
percent reduction in monthly cash assistance for refugee families outside camps
compared to previous levels.
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