Dubai: Syrian refugees living in northern Iraq will benefit from a collaboration project worth $10 million between the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development (KFAED).
The KFAED contribution, the first ever to UNHCR, will have a substantial impact on the water, health, sanitation and shelter conditions in five camps hosting 97,000 Syrian refugees in Dohuk and Arbil.
The agreement was signed at a ceremony attended by Kelly T. Clements, the UN Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees, and Abdulwahab A. Al Bader, the Director General of KFAED.
“The generous contribution from the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development is extremely welcome and timely, with the number of Syrian refugees in the region now exceeding 5 million people,” Clements said.
“Many Syrian families in Northern Iraq have been displaced for extended periods of time and live in dire conditions. They need our solidarity and our support, now more than ever,” she continued, adding that the KFAED contribution reflects Kuwait’s pioneering humanitarian efforts and is a real commitment to creating a brighter future for refugees, added the Deputy High Commissioner.
Iraq currently hosts over 230,000 Syrian refugees, most of whom are located in the northern part of the country, in Arbil, Duhok and Sulaymaniyah.
Over 90,000 Syrian refugees, almost 40 per cent, live in camps, including Domiz 1, the largest refugee camp in Iraq, Domiz 2, Basirma camp, Darashakran camp and Qushtapa camp, where the project funding will be directed.
