Migration and Refugee Assistance

The Global Need

FY13 Committee Approved Funding Senate: $2.3 billion House: $1.683 billion

Armed conflicts are forcing people to flee across borders at a faster rate in 2012 than any other year this century.1 Since 2000, the number of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) has increased by nearly two-thirds, from 25.6 million to 43.7 million. Yet, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, as of October 30th, the agency has less than half the money it needs for Africans displaced by conflict and may need to start cutting support to refugees.2 On top of record-high displacement in 2011, as of October 2012, the crisis in Syria has forced 274,700 refugees into neighboring countries.3 Robust funding is needed to respond to the highest displacement levels in 15 years, including complex emergencies such as in Syria, South Sudan, the Horn of Africa and the Sahel as well as protracted crisis situations and efforts to support innovative, long-term, sustainable policies that can mitigate future costs of responding to emergencies.

Significance of Funding Levels

The MRA account is badly stretched, responding to huge population movements and conflict. The additional $609 million approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee for FY13 would provide further support for: Syrian refugees who are placing strain on surrounding countries which are already unable to meet the increasing demand for water, housing, schools, and hospitals; Somalis who are taking refuge in Kenyas Dadaab camp and are without adequate housing, water, sanitation, and education; and Schooling for the 25% of refugee children who have no access to primary education and the more than 60% who have no access to secondary school.

Importance of Funding
Refugees supported by the MRA account are heavily dependent on the international assistance for their basic needs. Refugees often cannot safely return home, and 80% of the worlds refugees are hosted in poor, developing countries that have little capacity to support them. As a major new refugee crisis emerges from Syria, robust funding for the MRA account is vital. The Senate level will also allow funding for important gender-based violence prevention and related services, refugee education, livelihoods programs (which reduce long-term dependence on aid), and programs to find permanent solutions for the displaced. Investing in these important activities will lay the groundwork for refugees to become more self-sufficient and less aid dependent in the long run.

Impact of Funding Success is Possible

Americas strong role in supporting the most vulnerable populations in the world demonstrates US leadership in humanitarian assistance, but also plays an invaluable role in creating a more secure, stable world. Funding to UNHCR and NGOs through the MRA account has achieved important progress, such as:
1 2

Supporting Syrian refugees in Jordan to address basic needs and reduce destabilizing pressure on the Jordanian government; and Providing the largest bloc of funding for the repatriation of approximately two million Sudanese refugees to South Sudan after the end of the civil war.4

United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. (2012). UNHCR Global Trends 2011. Page 3. As retrieved from http://www.unhcr.org/4fd6f87f9.html. Borger, Julian. (October 30, 2012) UNHCR chief says his agency lacks cash to look after victims of conflict. The Guardian. As retrieved from: http://bit.ly/St2nZK 3 UNHCRs Syria Regional Response, Information Sharing Portal. As retrieved on October 24th, 2012 at: http://bit.ly/HqwSM3 4 United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. (2012). UNHCR Global Trends 2011. Page 7. As retrieved from http://www.unhcr.org/4fd6f87f9.html.

November 1, 2012