The Prime Minister has pledged more money for Syrian refugees as world leaders gathered this week in London. The moving scenes of hundreds of thousands of men, women and children risking their lives crossing the Aegean or the Balkans – more must be done to address the humanitarian disaster in Syria. The £2.3 billion pledged by the UK in aid helps show the way for the international effort.
We can provide the sense of hope to stop people thinking they have no option but to risk their lives on a dangerous journey to Europe.
Action the UK Government is taking:
(1) More than doubling our international aid to Syria and the region. The UK Government
is investing an extra £1.2 billion to help fund education, create jobs and humanitarian protection. This brings the total we’re investing to more than £2.3 billion. In total, the conference has raised over $10 billion – the largest amount ever raised in one day in response to a humanitarian crisis.
.(2) Resettling up to 20,000 Syrian refugees over five years. This is an expansion of the UK’s existing SVPR scheme and continues the use of the UNHCR process for identifying and resettling refugees. The cost to support Syrian refugees in the UK will be met by international aid spending in the first year
(3) Striking Daesh in Iraq and Syria. UK action is making a real difference on the ground as the UK represents between a quarter and a third of the international coalition’s precision bombing capability.
The UK Government commitment of over £2.3 billion in Syria and the region makes us one of the largest donors in the world. This is helping to meet the immediate needs of vulnerable people in Syria and refugees across the region
The UK will also work with our European partners to help those affected by the migrant crisis in Europe, however the UK is also clear that the only solution is to discourage individuals from making the perilous journey across the Mediterranean.
