14 January 2015
UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres appealed on Wednesday for a huge increase in financial support to Syrian refugees and the countries hosting them, as a new report revealed large numbers slipping deeper into poverty.
The UNHCR report, entitled "Living in the Shadows," showed that two-thirds of Syrian refugees across Jordan are now living below the national poverty line, and one in six lives in extreme poverty with expenditure of only around US$1.30 per day. The findings are based on the largest ever survey of refugee living conditions, involving nearly 150,000 individuals.
"The problem is that the assistance that is currently provided . . . is insufficient to be able to guarantee a dignified life to all the Syrians living in Jordan, as well as in Lebanon or any of the other neighbouring countries," Guterres told a news conference in Amman.
"This creates a situation in which the Syrian people are suffering a double jeopardy, first of all as victims of a conflict with no end in sight – and the despair that generates – and then being forced to live in extremely poor conditions," he added.
With the Syria crisis about to enter its fifth year, the report found that most refugees are becoming increasingly dependent on humanitarian assistance for survival, with a corresponding decline in living standards.
