Priti Patel calls for fresh international push on education and jobs for Syrian refugees on visits to Jordan and Lebanon

4 Aug 2016 04:58 PM

The international community must go further and faster in delivering on pledges made at the London Syria Conference.

Speaking at the close of a 3-day trip to Jordan and Lebanon, her first overseas visit in her new role, Priti Patel welcomed progress already made but called on donors to maintain momentum in creating at least 1 million jobs for Syrian refugees and to provide an education for every child affected by the conflict.

Ms Patel also encouraged partners to make good on the record-breaking financial commitments made at the conference in February.

International Development Secretary Priti Patel said:

It was important for me to visit Jordan and Lebanon as my first overseas visit in my new role which underlines the UK’s commitment to both countries as an outward-looking nation playing its part on the world stage.

The UK continues to be at the forefront of dealing with the Syrian crisis which, in addition to the appalling human costs, continues to destabilise the wider region and hold back the potential for security, prosperity and economic growth.

Working with our partners in the region, we are developing and driving the radical jobs and education agenda agreed at the Syria Conference which will help to improve the lives of vulnerable refugees but is also firmly in the national interest.

In Jordan, Ms Patel visited Za’atari refugee camp, where she saw first-hand how UK-funded programmes are delivering education and healthcare for the camp’s residents.

She went on to ad-Dulayl Industrial Park to see the benefits of the Jordan-EU trade agreement coming out of the Syria Conference, which will boost the Jordanian economy and generate jobs for both Syrian refugees and Jordanians alike. She held positive meetings with Prime Minister Hani al-Mulki and Minister of Planning and International Development Imad Fakhoury amongst other key officials.

In Lebanon, Ms Patel visited an informal tented settlement in the Bekaa Valley and a local school providing non-formal education, accompanied by Education Minister Elias Bou Saab.

She also visited the UK Lebanon Tech Hub, an international initiative supported by the British government aimed at supporting Lebanon’s knowledge economy and growth. During the visit, she also met Prime Minister Tammam Salam and Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil.

The London Conference on Syria and the region, co-hosted by the UK, saw in excess of $12 billion (around £9.1 billion) pledged by the international community - more than has ever been committed for a humanitarian crisis in a single day.

In the 6 months since the conference took place, UK and international progress includes:

Notes to editors

  1. The UK is at the forefront of the response to the Syria crisis, with life-saving humanitarian support reaching millions of people inside Syria and in neighbouring countries.

  2. The UK has pledged more than £2.3 billion to support those affected by the conflict, our largest ever response to a single humanitarian crisis.

  3. For more information on the UK’s humanitarian response, please see: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/factsheet-the-uks-humanitarian-aid-response-to-the-syria-crisis

  4. For more information on the London Syria Conference, please see: http://www.supportingsyria2016.com

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