UNHCR praises the Government of Nova Scotia for its exemplary generous contribution to the Syrian refugee crisis

OTTAWA, Sept. 8, 2015 /CNW/ - The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in Canada thanks the People and the Government of Nova Scotia for their inspiring generous contribution of 50,000 Canadian dollars toward UNHCR's emergency operation for Syrian refugees.

"I would like to convey UNHCR's deepest gratitude for the funding which was recently announced by the Premier of Nova Scotia, the Honourable Stephen McNeil, in support of UNHCR's relief efforts for Syrian refugees," said Furio De Angelis, UNHCR Representative in Canada.

"This generous and timely donation by the government of Nova Scotia reflects international humanitarian solidarity and is essential for our work to provide protection and life-saving assistance to Syrian refugees. With the war in Syria continuing unabated, support to refugees and countries in the region hosting them is absolutely crucial."

The UN Refugee Agency also extends its appreciation to individual Canadians and other groups in Canada for the outpouring public support and donations offered in response to the Syrian emergency.

For the past few months, the Agency has warned about the severely low funding that has hampered humanitarian assistance efforts to meet the needs of over 4 million refugees who have fled the conflict in Syria, as well as more than 20 million people in affected host communities in neighbouring countries.

As of the 25^th August 2015, only about 37% of the needs identified in the Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan for the Syrian emergency this year have been funded.

Backgrounders:

UNHCR leads and coordinates the response to the Syrian refugee situation in the host countries, working closely with the host governments and our UN and NGO partners. UNHCR currently has offices inside Syria and the four neighbouring countries that have been receiving the majority of Syrian refugees (Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey and Iraq). The number of Syrian refugees registered or awaiting registration in the region stands at almost 4.1 million persons with 7.6 million people displaced inside Syria.

SOURCE United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees

Gisèle Nyembwe, 613-986-4300, email: [email protected]