December 19, 2013
OTTAWA—The ongoing conflict in Syria continues to have devastating humanitarian consequences across the region. The Honourable Christian Paradis, Minister of International Development and Minister for La Francophonie, outlined today the details of the $45 million in Canadian humanitarian assistance announced by Prime Minister Harper on September 6, 2013.
"Canada continues to work with humanitarian organizations to address the most pressing needs on the ground. With the arrival of winter, millions of Syrians impacted by the ongoing conflict require improved shelter, warm clothes and food, emergency health care, and protection services," said Minister Paradis.
Since early 2011, millions of people have been affected by the violence in Syria, with many fleeing the country due to the deteriorating humanitarian situation. An estimated 9.3 million people in Syria, of whom 6.5 million are internally displaced, require humanitarian assistance. In addition, there are close to three million Syrian refugees—2.3 million registered and an estimated 620,000 unregistered—living in neighbouring countries.
"Canada remains committed to saving lives and addressing the most critical needs of those affected by this crisis. We continue to call for a political solution to this crisis, and while it is ongoing, it is imperative that all sides allow for safe and unhindered access to humanitarian workers," added Minister Paradis.
Please visit Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada's website for more information on Canada's response to the crisis in Syria.
- 30 –
For more information, media should contact:
Margaux Stastny, Director of Communications
Office of the Minister of International Development and Minister for La Francophonie
Telephone: 819-953-6238
Email: margaux.stastny@international.gc.ca
Media Relations Office
Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada (DFATD)
Telephone: 819-995-1874
Email: media@international.gc.ca
Follow us on Twitter: @DFATDCanada
Backgrounder
This announcement by the Honourable Christian Paradis, Minister of International Development and Minister for La Francophonie, outlines the details of the additional $45 million in humanitarian assistance for the crisis in Syria that was announced by Prime Minister Stephen Harper at the G-20 meeting on September 6, 2013.
This amount is in addition to the $158.5 million in humanitarian assistance that Canada has already provided to respond to the Syria crisis since January 2012, bringing Canada's total humanitarian assistance to $203.5 million.
Today's announcement of the $45 million is detailed as follows:
Humanitarian Assistance Inside Syria: $15.85 million
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) - $2.5 million
Canada's support will contribute to providing emergency health care services and health supplies to as many as 250,000 crisis-affected people.
United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) - $2.5 million
Canada's support will provide basic health care, including commodities to treat severe acute malnutrition, safe drinking water, sanitation facilities and hygiene programming, child-friendly spaces, and psychosocial services.
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) - $500,000
Canada's support will increase access to health care services for conflict-affected people, and improved access to protection, health, counselling, and psychosocial services to survivors of sexual and gender-based violence.
United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) - $5,000,000
Canada's support will provide food assistance through designated distribution sites such as refugee camps and therapeutic feeding centres, and also provide supplementary feeding and nutritious supplementary food to vulnerable groups including children, pregnant and lactating women, and female-headed households.
Other Partners – $5.35 million
Canada's support will provide gender-sensitive winter clothing to 25,000 internally displaced people in rural Damascus, provide direct food transfers and food vouchers to as many as 10,000 vulnerable households in Syria, and provide winter clothing, bedding, and space heaters to some 3,300 displaced families.
Humanitarian Assistance in the Region: $29.15 million
A) Projects at the regional or multicountry level
CANADEM - $1 million
Canada's support will help to deliver emergency humanitarian assistance to refugees fleeing the Syrian conflict by mobilizing Canadian expertise to support humanitarian organizations delivering life-saving assistance to Syrian refugees in Turkey, Iraq, Lebanon, and Jordan.
Canada Foodgrains Bank - $4 million
Canada's support will help to provide direct food transfers and food vouchers, as appropriate, to as many as 2,700 households in Jordan and 7,500 households in Lebanon, focusing on women and children.
United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) - $2.5 million
Canada's support will help to provide basic healthcare, including commodities to treat severe acute malnutrition, provide safe drinking water, sanitation facilities and hygiene programming, child-friendly spaces, and psychosocial services in Iraq, Jordan, and Lebanon.
United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) - $10 million
Canada's support will help to provide food assistance through designated distribution sites such as refugee camps and therapeutic feeding centres, and also provide supplementary feeding and nutritious supplementary foods to vulnerable groups including children, pregnant and lactating women, and female-headed households in Iraq, Jordan, and Lebanon.
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) - $500,000
Canada's support will increase access to health care services for conflict-affected people, and improved access to protection, health, counselling, and psychosocial services to survivors of sexual and gender-based violence in Jordan and Lebanon.
B) Projects in Iraq
Action Against Hunger Canada - $2.15 million
Canada's support will help to provide blankets, winter clothing, shovels, gas kettles and hot water containers for as many as 14,000 people, cash assistance to support shelter and other basic needs for as many as 3,000 people, hygiene kits and hygiene awareness sessions for as many as 3,000 people, water and sanitation facilities for some 150 households, and psychosocial support for close to 12,000 Syrian refugees and up to 3,000 vulnerable host community members.
Save the Children - $1 million
Canada's support will help to provide protection and psychosocial support for some 1,200 children and youth, early childhood care and development for close to 500 children, awareness raising on available child protection and education services for as many as 1,000 community members, and training for 80 child protection facilitators and 40 community members.
C) Projects in Jordan
Canadian Lutheran World Relief (CLWR) - $1.1 million
Canada's support will help to repair sanitation facilities for 300 households and provide winterization items for as many as 2,000 highly vulnerable refugee and host community households.
Norwegian Refugee Council - $1.3 million
Canada's support will help to upgrade 125 existing housing units to meet basic standards of health and safety which will benefit as many as 625 conflict-affected people in Irbid, and provide gas refills for heaters for some 75,000 Syrian refugees in Za'atari camp.
Save the Children - $1.5 million
Canada's support will help to engage 500 parents in child and youth friendly space activities, create eight child and youth friendly spaces, deliver child protection training for 50 child protection committee members and 20 staff, offer protection for 1,100 children and youth, and non-food relief kits and cash grants to 740 households (approximately 4,400 people).
D) Projects in Lebanon
Norwegian Refugee Council - $1.1 million
Canada's support will provide improved shelter conditions for 180 refugee families, and improved information, counselling and legal assistance for as many as 5,000 Syrian refugees.
Oxfam Quebec - $500,000
Canada's support will provide vouchers to purchase winter kits for 260 households (approximately 1,300 people), appropriate winter clothes for up to 600 children, cash transfers for renting temporary housing for up to 100 households (approximately 500 people), and improve access to information on refugee assistance services for 2,000 households (approximately 10,000 people).
World Vision - $2 million
Canada's support will help to provide cash assistance to cover essential life-saving items and for basic food and essential household supplies, including hygiene-related items for more than 6,000 non-registered vulnerable Syrian refugees (approximately 1,250 families).
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) - $500,000
Canada's support will help to deliver emergency health care services and health supplies to as many as 137,000 people in Lebanon.
