Syrian lives at risk as aid agencies struggle to meet fund-raising targets

Millions of Syrian refugees are suffering because of aid agencies falling short of their funding targets. Muhammad Hamed / Reuters

ABU DHABI // Millions of Syrian refugees in the Middle East are having to cope with deadly sub-zero temperatures as aid agencies fall well short of funding targets.

A spokeswoman for the United Nations Refugee Agency in Abu Dhabi said an estimated four million Syrian refugees in the region were feeling the brunt of “donor fatigue”, which has affected the UN’s ability to assist them.

Pledges to the UN last year are expected to only cover 50 per cent of the US$4.3 billion (Dh15.8bn) needed to help the refugees, said Dalia El Fiki of the UNHCR.

In 2014, the agency fared slightly better, receiving 57 per cent of its budget.

“Last year, we witnessed organisations taking the difficult decision to cut back on life-saving assistance such as food vouchers and cash assistance for vulnerable families,” Ms El Fiki said. “A funding gap unfortunately translates into agencies being forced to adopt austerity measures that have an impact on assistance that is delivered to populations of concern. Ultimately, this could lead to further movements, such as what we have witnessed in Europe.”

The UN said about 148,000 living in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley were dealing with temperatures below zero and were badly in need of aid.

To help them, the agency has made their tents weatherproof and installed drainage to lessen flooding from melting snow. Plywood and timber have also been distributed to reinforce the makeshift dwellings.

Since 2012, the UAE has donated more than Dh2.1bn in direct aid to the refugees, including Dh600 million through the Emirates Red Crescent.

An official with the Dar Al Ber Society in Dubai said the organisation has provided more than Dh23.6m in relief since 2011, but last year there was a 23 per cent decrease in overall aid sent to refugees, compared with 2014.

Last month, the Khalifa Foundation announced it was sending Dh6m worth of aid, including blankets, clothing and food, to refugees in Lebanon.

A Khalifa Foundation spokesman said: “It is a big challenge. The conditions are deplorable, especially in the severely cold weather in the region.”

The Norway Refugee Council estimated more than one million people, with about seven out of 10 refugees from Syria, were living in impoverished conditions across Jordan and Lebanon.

Exacerbating the situation were tightening border controls in the countries, the NRC said.

In Lebanon, 700,000 refugees have lost their legal right to stay, with all refugees over the age of 15 subject to a $275 residency renewal fee, which the council said was “prohibitive”. If the conditions persisted, refugees would be forced to make the often perilous trip to Europe or elsewhere, said Jan Egeland, the council’s secretary general.

“Insufficient international aid and the policies of host governments made it next to impossible for Syrian refugees to live in the Middle East,” Mr Egeland said.

This weekend, the UN, along with the UK, Germany, Kuwait and Norway, will co-host a donor conference in London to address funding shortfalls and raise relief funds for refugees.