Funding gap leaves refugees in Egypt struggling to cope

The family’s plight is a familiar one for the vast majority of the roughly quarter of a million registered refugees and asylum seekers currently living in Egypt. Some  80 per cent of the total are living in desperate humanitarian conditions, unable to meet even their most basic needs such as food, shelter or healthcare.

On February 28, UNHCR warned that its essential support programmes for refugees in the country were under severe pressure, due to a combination of increasing arrivals and inadequate resources.

Ongoing conflicts and insecurity in Yemen, the Horn of Africa and sub-Saharan Africa have seen the number of registered refugees and asylum seekers in Egypt increase by 24 percent in the past two years.

Meanwhile, two months into 2019, UNHCR is operating with only four percent of its annual US$104.2 million budget for its operations in the country.

“These refugees require timely and adequate humanitarian assistance,” said UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi. “Yet, right now we are unable to provide them with the bare essentials or maintain our core refugee protection programmes in this country.”

This is despite the Egyptian government’s generous support to refugees, which includes free education and access to health care on an equal footing with Egyptians

With more funds made available by generous donors, UNHCR will be able to better support many families in vulnerable situations.

Original source: UNHCR
Published on 28 February 2019