Qatar Charity, UNHRC Sign Agreement to Support 30,000 Syrian Refugee Families in Lebanon and Jordan

Geneva, July 10 (QNA) - Qatar Charity and the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) have signed an agreement to provide support worth more than $10 million for the most needy Syrian refugee families in Jordan and Lebanon, by offering cash assistance to alleviate their suffering and provide their basic needs. The agreement was signed by HE Board Chairman of Qatar Charity Sheikh Hamad bin Nasser Al-Thani and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi. The agreement comes within the framework of the strategic partnership and cooperation agreement signed between the two sides earlier, and as part of their efforts to help the Syrian refugees in the neighboring countries of Syria. The two sides noted that this contribution to the UNHCR Zakat initiative is the first of its kind from any donor, at a time when the UNHCR is experiencing a deficit in funding cash assistance programs which represent a lifeline for thousands of Syrian refugee families. They stressed that the agreement will enable UNHCR to provide cash assistance to more than 30,000 Syrian families, including the 150,000 most vulnerable refugees in Lebanon and Jordan until the end of this year. Nearly 89% of the Syrian refugees in Jordan and 71% of the refugees in Lebanon are living below the poverty line, while 1.2 million people need cash assistance in the Middle East and North Africa. UNHRC Regional Representative to the Gulf Countries Khalid Khalifa praised the partnership and cooperation with Qatar Charity, noting that the donation of Qatar Charity is the first of its kind by any donor to the UNHCR Zakat initiative, which strengthens the constructive partnership and contributes to providing the basic needs such as rent and health care for hundreds of thousands of families who have been stranded. For his part, CEO of Qatar Charity Yousef Ahmed Al Kuwari stressed the importance of helping the Syrian refugees who are facing unimaginable difficulties to meet their basic needs. He noted that the UNHCR Zakat initiative provides the opportunity for all to support the refugees directly through cash assistance. Qatar Charity and the UNHCR have a long record of joint cooperation and partnership agreements in support for refugees and displaced persons in Syria, Yemen, Myanmar, Iraq, Somalia and Bangladesh, estimated at $23 million. Last year, Qatar Charity allocated more than $16 million to Rohingya refugees and those affected by the humanitarian crisis in Somalia. (QNA)