UK announces £30 million in support for Syria refugees

Ansar Ahmed Ullah :
 
The UK will provide £30million in new funding to help the most vulnerable people, including children and infants, arriving in Europe and fleeing the Syrian conflict, the International Development Secretary for the UK Justine Greening has announced.
Meeting the urgent needs of around 27,000 children that have fled to the Balkans, Greece, and Italy, the UK’s support will provide jackets, hats, scarves, boots and food to help keep them this winter.
International Development Secretary, Justine Greening said, ‘As the humanitarian crisis in Syria continues, we will make sure we help refugees who have lost everything and desperately need our support.
We are helping people inside Syria, enabling millions to stay in neighbouring countries, and for those who have made the perilous journey to Europe, we are stepping up our support to ensure they can cope with worsening weather conditions.
Many children and their families have been left with nothing but the clothes on their back and are in desperate need of basic essentials. As the coldest months of winter are upon us, warm clothes, hot water and warm blankets will help protect the most vulnerable.’
The UK will provide, £2.75m to UNICEF, £11m funding to the Start Fund, £9.75m to the UNHCR’s Special Mediterranean Initiative, £3m to IFRC and £3.5million worth of essential equipment.
Funding to UNICEF will provide blankets for babies, winter shoes/boots and socks, winter jackets, winter hats, scarf and gloves, and food.
Funding to Start Fund (a consortium of NGOs including Mercy Corps, International Rescue Committee, Oxfam, and others), UNHCR and the Red Cross will provide additional winter help to migrants and refugees who have already travelled to Europe, and boost infrastructure and services to take care of new arrivals.
Totalling a further £3.5million the UK will provide essential equipment in the form of over 1,700 tents, 18,000 sleeping mats, 178,000 blankets, and items such as a rough terrain forklift truck to enable the complex logistics of the response.
The UK has already given £5m to the Start Fund, £2.4m to the IFRC and £6.75m to the UNHCR.
The International Development Secretary’s announcement brings the UK’s total support for refugees and migrants during the Mediterranean migration crisis to nearly £55m.
UK support will contribute to international efforts to provide assistance and protection to over 1 million refugees and migrants over the winter and beyond, in nine countries, including some of the most overstretched, such as Greece which has seen unprecedented levels of arrivals this year.
In February 2016, the UK will convene world leaders in London for a conference to identify long-term solutions to address the needs of those affected by the crisis.