BEVERLY HILLS, April 25, (THEWILL) – The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has established a $255 million appeal fund to urgently support its preparedness and response to the outbreaks of COVID-19 among the vulnerable worldwide.
UNCHR’s Senior Adviser, Mr. Khaled Khalifa explained the significance of the fund at the unveiling of the agency’s 2020 Islamic Philanthropy Report in Qatar with emphasis on countries where UNHCR operates across the globe.
Khalifa, also UNCHR’s Regional Representative of the UNHCR to the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), disclosed that since its establishment in 2019, over one million people had benefitted from the Refugee Zakat Fund (RZF) globally.
He said: “In countries where UNHCR operates, COVID-19 is an emergency on top of an emergency. Since its inception in 2019, the fund has been deployed to assist over one million vulnerable beneficiaries worldwide.”
Faced with the urgent push to curb the risk and lessen the impact of COVID-19 outbreaks in vulnerable communities, UNCHR’s senior adviser said a $255 million appeal fund “has been set up to support UNHCR’s preparedness and response in situations of forced displacement over the next nine months.
ALSO READ: Nigeria: SESSNet Raises Concern Over COVID-19 Lockdown, Wants Economy Opened
Specifically, the report cited the impact of the Refugee Zakat Fund (RZF) on the vulnerable communities worldwide, especially internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees in countries where the UNCHR is currently operating.
In 2019, for instance, the report said the fund received over $43.165 million, saying the Thani Bin Abdullah Bin Thani Al-Thani Humanitarian Fund donated over $35 million to the fund, which helped support 164,696 vulnerable families (875,000 individuals).
The report revealed that other donations to the UNHCR Refugee Zakat Fund “are from individuals, institutional partners and philanthropists, primarily from the Middlesex East and North Africa (MENA).
“These donations have helped provide life-saving assistance to a total of 191,497 vulnerable families and 1,025,014 refugees and internally displaced persons in Bangladesh, Yemen, Iraq, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Malaysia and Mauritania.”
Khalifa, thus, appreciated all donors to the RZF, which he said, had been deployed to supports over 1 million needy and displaced persons worldwide.
He said: “In view of the current global health situation, more refugees will require our humanitarian assistance, and Zakat and Islamic philanthropy can have a significant impact in responding to these needs.”
Buttressing Khalifa’s appeal, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Mr. Filippo Grandi lamented the grim situation of refugees and displaced persons worldwide.
Grandi said: “Imagine trying to cope with the global health crisis with no access to soap and water to wash your hands. No hope of isolating yourself because of overcrowded conditions.
“No shelter to stay safely inside. Imagine having to do this after already having been forced by war to flee your home and your family. This is the tragic reality today for far too many refugees and displaced families around the world.”
