The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) signed two memorandums of understanding with the Kingdom to support Syrian refugees and host communities in Jordan and Lebanon.
The $10-million MoU was signed on Wednesday between Youssef Al-Bassam, deputy chairman and managing director of the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD), and Imran Riza, UNHCR regional representative to the GCC, at the SFD headquarters in Riyadh.
The amount will be divided equally between Syrian refugees in Jordan and Lebanon.
“This generous contribution by Saudi Arabia comes at a crucial time when over 1,000 days of conflict have compelled more than 2 million Syrians to flee their country and seek refuge in neighboring countries,” a statement from the UNHCR said Thursday.
The massive influx of Syrian refugees is placing immense strain on the infrastructure and services of these countries, especially Lebanon and Jordan, which are host to over half of the total refugee population.
These projects, funded by the Kingdom, aim to reconstruct, rehabilitate and provide public utilities and services in Jordan and Lebanon, benefiting a total of 120,000 Syrian refugees and host community members in both countries, which include 70,000 in Jordan, and 50,000 in Lebanon.
“The UNHCR is extremely grateful to the Kingdom, which, under the wise leadership of the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah, has always been proactive in responding to humanitarian appeals through the Saudi Fund for Development and the Saudi national campaigns, which share a strategic partnership with the UNHCR,” Riza said.
