U.S. Humanitarian Assistance to Displaced Syrians in Turkey

April 17, 2012

Question Taken at the April 16, 2012 Daily Press Briefing  

U.S. Humanitarian Assistance to Displaced Syrians in Turkey

U.S. Department of State
Office of the Spokesperson

Question:  Has the United States offered assistance to Turkey to aid Syrian refugees?

Answer:  The United States has provided nearly $25 million in humanitarian assistance to support the people of Syria through international and non-governmental humanitarian partners in the region. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has received $8.5 million of these funds.  

As of April 15, UNHCR has provided almost 34,000 blankets, 10,000 bed mats and 5,100 family tents in response to the arrival of displaced Syrians in Turkey and the emergency response to the earthquake in Van this past fall. Additionally, UNHCR has regular access to the camps, and the Government of Turkey has invited UNHCR to provide technical assistance on protection issues including camp management, voluntary repatriation, and registration. 

The government of Turkey’s humanitarian assistance provided through the Turkish Red Crescent exceeds international standards, and we commend the Turkish Government’s leadership and humanitarian response.

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Additional Humanitarian Assistance to Syria

Fact Sheet

Office of the Spokesperson
Washington, DC
May 10, 2012


The United States is pursuing every avenue to get humanitarian relief to those affected by the violence in Syria and is engaged in focused diplomatic efforts to secure full and unfettered access for humanitarian organizations to reach those in need. To help meet the growing humanitarian need, the United States is providing an additional $6.5 million in humanitarian assistance to support the people of Syria, bringing the total amount of U.S. emergency aid being provided to date to nearly $40 million for this crisis. Our assistance is providing food, clean water, basic health care, and medical and other emergency relief supplies to help those in need in Syria and in neighboring countries. To date, the United States has provided:

    * $16.5 million to the World Food Program (WFP);
    * $8.5 million to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR);
    * $7.8 million to non-governmental organizations (NGOs);
    * $3 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA);
    * $3 million to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC); and
    * $500,000 to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

We recognize the generosity of the Governments of Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, and Iraq, who have kept their borders open and are hosting and providing assistance to those fleeing the violence in Syria. We commend the efforts of the United Nations, and the international organizations and non-governmental organizations to ease the trauma that the conflict in Syria has inflicted on those fleeing the violence.