UN, aid groups seek $5.5bn to help countries hosting Syria refugees

The United Nations and aid partners on Tuesday said they need $5.5 billion to support countries hosting millions of Syrian refugees. The number includes a million babies born in displacement. The “Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan” aims to help Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Turkey deal with the impact of hosting some 5.6 million Syrian refugees. “These neighboring countries have remained incredibly generous in hosting large refugee populations since the start of the crisis” in Syria in March 2011, the statement said. The $5.5 billion plan for 2019-2020 by the UN and more than 200 partner aid groups is designed to target more than nine million people across five countries, AFP reported. It will fund several projects for refugees, including education for children as well as “enhancing basic services and economic opportunities.”