Kuwait Delivers Timely Contribution to Help Syrian Refugees Weather Winter Months

14 Nov 2016

UNHCR Representative in Lebanon, Mireille Girard, meets with Kuwaiti Ambassador, H.E. Abdel Aal Al-Kinai, at the Kuwaiti Embassy in Beirut, Lebanon. / © UNHCR

BEIRUT (UNHCR) – The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) today welcomed the State of Kuwait’s generous contribution of USD 7,960,000 to protect and assist refugees affected by the Syria crisis.

“Once again, the State of Kuwait has demonstrated its solid commitment to helping Syrian refugees who are bracing to face the harsh winter weather,” said UNHCR’s Representative in Lebanon Mireille Girard during a meeting today with Kuwaiti Ambassador Abdel Aal Al-Kinai.

“We are thankful for the state of Kuwait and its people for this generous and timely funding which will help assist thousands of highly vulnerable refugees,” added Ms. Girard.

The recent contribution will help UNHCR deliver urgently needed winter assistance to some 25,000 Syrian refugee families. Winter is a particularly difficult time for vulnerable refugees in Lebanon, who must incur additional expenditure to allow them to stay warm, dry, and adequately clothed and fed.

“We value the effort undertaken by UNHCR through specialized programmes to ease the suffering of the Syrian people, as well as the Agency’s effective and visible role, namely in the improvement of the situation of Syrian refugees in Lebanon,” said Ambassador Al-Kinai.

He also lauded the government of Lebanon for “hosting the highest number of Syrian refugees since the onset of the crisis.”

Since 2013, Kuwait has contributed close to USD 350 million to help UNHCR in addressing the critical needs of displaced people across the globe and in particular those affected by the Syria and Iraq crises. Kuwait remains UNHCR’s largest donor from the Middle East and North Africa region.

In addition to hosting three consecutive international donor conferences, Kuwait co-hosted the ‘Supporting Syria and the Region’ conference, which was held earlier this year in London and during which Kuwait also pledged USD 300 million for the Syria humanitarian response over the next three years.

There are 1,017,430 Syrian refugees registered with UNHCR’s Lebanon office, making it the highest refugee-hosting country per capita.

 

Media Contacts

Beirut – Ms. Dana Sleiman, +961 71 910 626