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Crisis in Syria: Thousands of refugees in Iraq and Lebanon

Iraq, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon

Website of the SDC in Iraq, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon: www.swiss-cooperation.admin.ch/middleeast

Crisis in Syria

Switzerland’s commitment in Syria is concentrated around the following three axes.

Humanitarian Aid
Switzerland provides humanitarian aid to protect and help people most affected by the crisis both in Syria and in neighbouring countries. The SDC’s aid, which currently amounts to CHF 20 million, includes support to different international organisations (ICRC, UNHCR, WFP, FAO, UNICEF, UNRWA) as well as the direct actions it is conducting in the north of Lebanon and in Jordan.


Factsheet

The Federal Council has submitted a request to Parliament to increase the funds available for humanitarian aid to the people of Syria to CHF 5 million, 30.11.2012
Support for the Syrian refugees in Turkey, 19.11.2012
Project «Cash for hosting»
Project «Schools rehabilitation for Syrian Refugees, Jordan»

Switzerland is also contributing USD 55,000 via the Human Security Division of the FDFA to a rural hospital project in the north of Syria (sanitary equipment and medicines).

For a political solution to the conflict
Switzerland is committed to the search for a political solution to the crisis in Syria. It supports the political mission of the Special Envoy of the League of Arab States and the United Nations. In this context, Switzerland provided logistical support to an initiative known as “Day After” which is being promoted by some 50 Syrian members of the opposition both within and outside the country with the aim of defining a vision and a set of principles on a political transition in their country.

Fight against impunity
In the framework of the United Nations General Assembly and the Human Rights Council, Switzerland has on several occasions asked that the Security Council refer the situation in Syria to the International Criminal Court (ICC) to ensure that the perpetrators of war crimes or crimes against humanity – in all parties to the conflict – do not go unpunished.

Switzerland supports the commission of the Human Rights Council established to investigate war crimes occurring in Syria, and it has pressed for a prolongation of the commission’s mandate. Carla Del Ponte, former attorney general of Switzerland and former Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Tribunals for the former Yugoslavia and Rwanda, is a member of the commission.

FDFA Media Releases on the Uprisings in the Arab World


SDC cooperation strategy for Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, 2010-2014

The SDC has been present in the Near East for many years and implements numerous development cooperation and humanitarian aid programmes in the region.

Reliable and peaceful living conditions are to be created for various groups:

  • Refugees
  • Internally displaced persons
  • Vulnerable population and migrant groups
  • Communities that are particularly exposed to the risk of natural disasters.
While there has been a general decrease in poverty, there are still many vulnerable population groups in these countries. The socio-economic consequences of conflicts worsen the situation of families, especially women and children who are already suffering from legal and structural discrimination. Migrant workers from Asia and Africa are exposed to precarious living conditions and discrimination. The number of unemployed is particularly high, for instance, in refugee communities. When young people lack education and training – and therefore the opportunity to take part in economic and public life – a country's economic growth prospects are diminished, as are any chances of democratic change within society. Social and political strife is often fertile ground for religiously motivated political extremism.

Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria are also greatly at risk of natural disasters such as flooding, earthquakes and drought. This brings additional threats to the region and the populations living there. Dealing with water shortages at the regional level remains a major challenge.

The Swiss Government's bilateral commitment 2010
Mio. CHF
2011
Mio. CHF
2012*
Mio. CHF
SDCa
Bilateral development cooperation 1.86 2.64 0.99
Humanitarian aid 15.09 15.13 21.52
State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO)
Economic Cooperation and Development 0.30 6.63
Total SDC/SECO commitment 17.25 17.77 29.14
Other Federal Offices
FDFA Human Security Division and Directorate of International Law 0.60 0.45 0.08
Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sport (DDPS) 0.10 0.04
State Secretariat for Education and Research (SER) 0.05 0.06 0.06
Total other Federal Offices 0.75 0.55 0.14
Total 18.00 18.32 29.28
* planned; total based on available data
Bilateral development cooperation excluding programme contributions to NGOs
– = nil or amount < 5'000 CHF
a Excluding multilateral contributions to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) of 5.3 mil. CHF in 2010 and of 6.1 mil.CHF in 2011

Humanitarian aid and development cooperation: priorities

The SDC implements its strategies in the following three areas:

The SDC Cooperation Office in Amman coordinates the activities of the SDC programme office in Beirut and Damascus as well as the programme in Iraq, where the SDC has no field office. The office in Damascus has been temporarily closed because of the armed conflict.


Background information on Iraq, Syria, Jordan, Lebanon

Facts and figures
Iraq
Jordan

Syria
Lebanon
Fläche
Bevölkerung
Bevölkerungswachstumsquote pro Jahr (seit 1990)
Lebenserwartung bei Geburt: Frauen / Männer
Analphabetismusquote Erwachsene: Frauen / Männer
Bruttoinlandprodukt BIP pro Kopf


Bevölkerungsanteil mit weniger als 2US$
438’317
32.962

2.9

72.2 /65.9

29.4 /14.0
3'500.7

..
438’317
6.181

2.2

74.9 /72.0

10.8/4.2
4'665.9

1.6
185'000
20.820

1.8

77.5/74.3

23.1 /10.1
2'892.8

..
10'400
4.259

0.7

74.8 /70.5

..
9'413.1

..
km2
Mio.

%

Jahre

%
US$

%

Source: World Bank's World Development Indicators 2013

Background information Iraq (BBC)
Background information Syria (BBC)
Background information Jordan (BBC)
Background information Libanon (BBC)


Local SDC contact address:

Iraq, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon (Amman)

Swiss Cooperation office Lebanon
Beirut
Phone: +961 1 739 741
Fax: +961 1 739 742
Email: beirut@sdc.net

Swiss Regional Cooperation Office Jordan
Swefiyeh, Salah Toqan st. No.7
P.O.Box 830544 Amman 11183

Phone +962 6 585 6020
Fax +962 6 581 5956
Email amman@sdc.net
Website www.swiss-cooperation.admin.ch/middleeast

Additional Information and Documents

Here, you will find more publications, links, documents and articles about Swiss development cooperation and humanitarian aid in this country.