Guterres: Lack of World Bank Grants to Lebanon over Refugees is 'Absurd'
The U.N. refugee chief, Antonio Guterres, has called for more financial assistance for Lebanon and other countries hosting Syrian refugees, saying it is “absurd” for the tiny country not to enjoy World Bank grants
“Countries like Lebanon and Jordan need much more financial assistance – not only to local refugee hosting communities, but also through government budget support for necessary structural investments in health systems, education, water supply, electricity and other public infrastructure cracking under the huge pressure,” Guterres told the Security Council on Thursday.
“Bilateral and multilateral donors, and international financial institutions, must review existing criteria and priorities. It is absurd, for example, that Lebanon has no access to World Bank grants because it is considered a middle-income country,” said the head of the UNHCR.
The Kuwait III conference will play a determining role in stabilizing the situation in the refugee hosting countries because international support has been far from keeping pace with the magnitude of needs, he said.
There are more than 1.5 million Syrian refugees in Lebanon. Well over half of them are living in insecure dwellings – up from a third last year, he said.
Guterres warned the council that "we are approaching a dangerous turning point" as those refugees find fewer places to go and make increasingly desperate attempts to flee.
He said Syrians made up one-third of the nearly 220,000 migrants arriving in Europe after perilous boat crossings of the Mediterranean last year.
"Europe must step up its capacity to save lives, with a robust search and rescue operation in the central Mediterranean, or thousands more will die," Guterres added.
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Source: Agence France Presse, Naharnet
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