Address by Minister Bibeau to announce an additional $100 million in support of humanitarian assistance in the Middle East

Speech

April 13, 2016 - Ottawa, Ontario

Check against delivery. This speech has been translated in accordance with the official languages policy and edited for posting and distribution in accordance with the Government of Canada’s communications policy.

Dear partners, colleagues, media representatives, Parliamentary Secretary and Member of Parliament for Burlington Karina Gould, ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon. Thank you for being here.

I know that you’re anxious to know the results of the emergency fund for Syrian refugees. I’m happy to announce that it has more than doubled over the two months that were added to the deadline. It is now $31.8 million.

I would like to thank Canadians across the country for generously donating $31.8 million through the fund. I also want to congratulate Canadian partners who have worked so hard to raise funds and educate Canadians about the plight of millions of Syrians caught in this conflict.
But this is not all I want to announce today.

We are doubling the donations made by Canadians to the Syria Emergency Relief Fund. Our government is making an additional commitment of $68.2 million, for a total contribution of $100 million, to help the most vulnerable people affected by the Syrian conflict. This is an investment in the education, safety and future of women and children.

Why is today’s announcement so important? Because the conflict has inflicted profound suffering on millions of people in Syria and in neighbouring countries.

In January, when I visited Lebanon and Jordan, I talked to families who live in refugee camps and informal settlements. I also met with local people and humanitarian representatives.

The communities there are really suffering. Besides helping their own citizens, they’re trying to deal with the basic needs of people who are there to seek refuge, but they don’t have the necessities.

They can’t offer education and health services. They can’t offer drinking water and other basic services in a conflict such as this one. In the meantime, children need a safe place where they can play and learn and believe in a better future.

Currently, 2.8 million Syrian children in the region are out of school, and the numbers are growing by the day. One in four schools in Syria is not functioning, as they have been either destroyed or damaged or they are sheltering displaced people.

We need to take at-risk children off the streets and into classrooms. We also need to give children who don’t have access to schools the resources and support they need to keep learning.

Without access to education, children affected by conflict will be stuck in poverty. Boys will be at great risk of being forced to work or, worse, recruited by extremist groups. Girls may be subjected to very early marriage.

The importance of education is quite obvious in both situations. We have to allow children to learn and to find hope for the future. We have to protect them from forced labour. We have to keep boys from being recruited by extremist groups and protect girls from early and forced marriage.

We cannot afford to lose the potential of an entire generation of Syrians to this conflict.

Today, we are taking a stand for the right of every child affected by the Syrian conflict to go to school by telling them, “You have a future. Canadians believe in you.”

That is why we have chosen to invest our matching contribution where it will make the biggest difference. We will give $31.8 million to UNICEF to support the efforts of its incredible team to improve the lives of children and youth in Jordan and Syria.

In Jordan, this funding will support up to 84 Makani centres, which provide children and youth with education, skills development and psychosocial support. Makani means “my space”: they are safe spaces where young people can learn, make friends, have a normal life and hope for a better future.

I visited a Makani centre while I was in Jordan. The commitment of the staff was amazing. They work non-stop to help kids catch up on the schooling they have missed and overcome the trauma they have experienced. Thanks to today’s contribution, nearly 50,000 children in Jordan will go from the street into classrooms.

In Syria, these funds will help up to 400,000 vulnerable children learn outside of the school setting, thanks to kits like this one here.

As I said earlier, the needs on the ground are so huge and so urgent our government has decided to go beyond matching the donations raised through the Syria Emergency Relief Fund. The additional $68.2 million will provide much-needed food assistance, shelter, child protection, water, sanitation and hygiene, and treatment and counselling for women and girls who are victims of sexual violence.

In total, 28 humanitarian projects in countries including Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and Iraq will be supported. The projects will be led by trusted and experienced humanitarian organizations, such as the Canadian partners standing behind me.

You have been on the front lines since the start of the Syrian conflict, at great risk to the safety and security of your staff. You make me and all Canadians very proud of our country. Thank you.

I would now like to invite Mr. David Morley from UNICEF Canada and Jérôme Bobin from Handicap International Canada to say a few words.

Contacts

Bernard Boutin
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of International Development and La Francophonie
343-203-5977
bernard.boutin@international.gc.ca

Media Relations Office
Global Affairs Canada
343-203-7700
media@international.gc.ca
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