Today, Mr. O’Brien hosted a briefing in which he highlighted the need for greater funding to be allocated to Syrian refugees and internally displaced people within Syria. He began by stating that this year’s Syria response plan will require $3.2 billion in aid along with more flexible programming and preparedness to deal with immediate needs on the ground.  He also encouraged member states to attend the upcoming Syria Donors Conference that will be held in London in February and which aims to secure funding for long and short term initiatives related to getting children back in schools and adults back in the workforce in Syria.  

    Next, Mr. Grandi briefly spoke of the external components of the 3RP and emphasized that resilience is important for both refugees and host countries.  Additionally, he stated that despite worrying refugee trends, such as the increase in the sheer number of refugees and the increased pace of secondary movement from countries bordering Syria to European countries, assistance has been helpful to these populations.  He mentioned dedicating additional funding to particularly vulnerable refugees, such as unaccompanied minors and Palestinian refugees from Syria.  He concluded with urging member states to attend the upcoming conference in London.

    Lastly, Ms. Clarke urged greater funding for the 3RP in the areas of water and sanitation, infrastructure development, and small agriculture support, all of which will enable refugees and internally displaced people to support themselves. After the briefing, various representatives from Syria, UK, Norway, Sweden, Italy, Turkey, Kuwait, and Japan pledged their support for the conference in London.   Representatives from WFP, WHO, and FAO additionally spoke of the need for greater funding to address the food insecurity and lack of medical supplies within Syria.

Meeting: United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA): Briefing All Member States on the Syria Regional, Refugee, and Resilience Plan (3RP), the Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP), and the London Conference.

Date/Time/Location: Tuesday, January 12, 2016; 15:00 -16:00; Conference Room One

Speakers: Mr. Stephen O’Brien, The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs’ Under-Secretary-General and Emergency Relief Coordinator (OCHA’S USG/ERC); Mr. Filippo Grandi, High Commissioner for Refugees; Helen Clarke, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator; Representatives from Syria, the United Kingdom (UK), Norway, Sweden, Italy, Kuwait, Japan, Turkey, the World Food Program (WFP), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

Written By: WIT Representative Shubhangi Shukla

Photo Credit: Peter Biro/IRC