#Syria and #UNHCR sign agreement as part of humanitarian response plan Oct 27, 2013 #Damascus, (#SANA) – The Ministry of Local Administration, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Syrian Society for Social Development signed on Sunday an agreement within the framework of the humanitarian response plan signed by Syria and the UN. The agreement stipulates for constructing 200 housing units in Damascus Countryside to serve as temporary housing centers, in addition to restoring and maintaining 81 temporary housing centers to house 2,981 families consisting of 15,615 individuals. The agreement also covers providing social services to 26 temporary housing centers and 3 social services centers, including activities targeting children, providing support for people with special needs, and psychological counseling for displaced families. Deputy Prime Minister for Services Affairs, Minister of Local Administration Omar Ghalawanji, said this agreement seeks to improve the living conditions of displaced families until they can return to their homes, in addition to freeing up government establishments including schools which are being used as housing centers in order for them to be used for their original purposes. Ghalawanji said the cost of this project is estimated at USD 2 million which will be added to the Syrian governments participation, noting that the Syrian government began constructing buildings to serve as temporary housing centers more than two years ago to accommodate 10,000 displaced individuals at a cost of SYP 5 billion. He also stressed the importance of cooperation with the UN, particularly the UNHCR, which has led to rehabilitating 119 housing centers, with work currently underway to rehabilitate 337 by the end of 2013. In turn, Director for the MENA Bureau at the UNHCR Office in Geneva Amin Awad affirmed that work in the humanitarian response plan will continue, and that the housing project in question is experimental and will be applied in other areas if it succeeds. For his part, Resident Representative of the UNHCR in Syria Tarek al-Kurdi said that this agreement is a milestone in humanitarian work as it shifts from temporary relief work to strategic developmental work. Similarly, Social Affairs Minister Kinda al-Shammat pointed out to the massive amount of funding and support to relief work provided by the government and civil society in Syria, calling for more cooperation with the UN to ensure the return of displaced citizens from abroad. In turn, Public Works Minister Hussein Arnous said the government is carrying out work on temporary housing centers with considerable speed despite limitations, calling on the UNHCR to provide all that is needed to carry out housing projects for displaced people. sana.sy/eng/21/2013/10/27/509332.htm
Posted on: Mon, 28 Oct 2013 00:33:40 +0000
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