UNHCR on Tuesday said that it is increasingly concerned by a USD 58.45 million funding shortfall that - coupled with this year's sharp recent growth in internal displacement - could leave as many as a million people without proper help.
The warning comes amid efforts underway across Syria and Iraq to prepare displaced populations for the coming winter.
According to Melissa Fleming, Spokesperson to High Commissioner Guterres, "the shortfall affects our winter preparedness programs, although we have already invested USD 154 million on winter aid for Syrian and Iraqi refugees and internally displaced." It also "means that UNHCR is having to make some very tough choices over who to prioritize. Factors we are considering include the elevation of refugee settlements, the composition of the family unit (e.g. number of children and female-headed households), family health concerns, new arrivals, available family resources, shelter conditions and other considerations," she added.
For those we're unable to prioritize, the conditions could nonetheless be very tough, Flemin added in a press briefing in the UN office in Geneva. While the problem is most acute in Iraq and Syria, there are also needs in other parts of the region. This will be the fourth winter away from their homes for many Syrian refugees and the first for the 1.9 million Iraqis who have become internally displaced this year. Many fled with nothing.
But protecting people from cold requires funds. Right now, we estimate the overall winter shortfall for UNHCR's program alone to be at least USD 58.45 million for some 990,000 people - mainly newly internally displaced people in Iraq and Syria (including a gap of USD 27.4 million for internally displaced inside Syria, and USD 25 million for internally displaced in Iraq), Fleming said. According to Fleming , the needs in Iraq are massive but funding has not kept up apace with the new displacement. With 1.9 million internally displaced people and 225,000 refugees - and 300-500 more arriving daily in Northern Iraq from Kobane - UNHCR is deeply concerned about its ability to meet urgent winter needs.
Approximately 800,000 people are in need of shelter assistance, while 940,000 lack basic winter household items.
New and multiple displacement inside Syria - with people having to move several times inside the country in search of safety - has fuelled an increase in the need for winter aid. Here, as part of an inter-agency effort, we are focusing on providing relief items including thermal blankets, winter clothing, extra plastic sheeting and reinforcing collective and private shelters currently housing thousands of displaced families, she concluded.