Ramadan 2023: UN urges people to dig deep to help refugees who are more in need than ever

Senior UNHCR figures show the need to help is greater than before, with refugee numbers expected to continue to grow

Khaled Khalifa, UNHCR senior adviser to the GCC, speaks during the launch of the Islamic philanthropy annual report in Dubai on Monday. Pawan Singh / The National

The escalation of the global refugee crisis is making it more important than ever for people to show their support during Ramadan, a senior UN figure has said.

The recent earthquake in Turkey and Syria, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the cost-of-living crisis have created increased funding pressures for the humanitarian community.

That was the message from Khaled Khalifa, senior adviser to the GCC for the UN refugee agency.

We are expecting the number of refugees to rise to 117 million by the end of this year

Khaled Khalifa,
UNHCR

While the future for refugees remains bleak, Mr Khalifa said he was optimistic that this year’s UNHCR Ramadan appeal will go a long way in helping those most in need.

“Our campaign is one of our main revenue streams as Ramadan is high season for fundraising,” he said.

“People are more likely to give during Ramadan which is a great help in our efforts to get support to those who need the donations.”

Mr Khalifa was speaking at the launch of the UNHCR’s annual Islamic Philanthropy report in Dubai on Monday which revealed the Refugee Zakat Fund received more than $21.4 million in donations in 2022.

Zakat, one of the five pillars of Islam, is a form of alms giving that is regarded as a tax or religious obligation.

Double whammy

There are currently 103 million people around the world who were said to be forcibly displaced, according to the latest statistics from the UNHCR.

More than 32 million of those are classified as refugees.

The situation was especially dire in the Mena region with just under 7 million refugees coming from Syria — more than anywhere else in the world.

While the crisis has been compounded by recent events, Mr Khalifa believes that people in this region will dig deep to offer help during Ramadan.

“People were already aware of the refugee crisis in the Muslim world before the earthquake struck in Turkey and Syria,” he said.

“The Syrians were already living in a state of crisis and emergency before that, now they have suffered a double whammy.

“I am expecting people to be more generous to this population because of that.”

Recent global events had sharpened the public’s focus on the plight of refugees, he added.

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Syrian family shelter in cave in Antakya

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“When you speak to people about refugees you can feel their compassion because of everything that’s happened from the impact of the Ukrainian crisis, the pandemic and the global economic crisis,” Mr Khalifa said.

“People have an expectation that refugees will be more in need this year than before.

“I think this is going to translate into those who can giving more.”

More than 1.5 million refugees received direct support from Zakat donations in 2022, according to the UNHCR report.

While support for refugees is strong, there is a real danger the situation could spiral out of control if current trends were not reversed, warned Mr Khalifa.

“We have not seen any drop in numbers [of refugees] at any point over the past 10 years,” he said.

“We are expecting the number of refugees to rise to 117 million by the end of this year.

“It is the responsibility of the global community to deal with the root causes of displacement. At the moment all we are doing is treating the symptoms rather than the disease itself.”

The Islamic Philanthropy report was released in conjunction with the Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair Refugee Education Fund.

“We join forces with UNHCR today to acknowledge the growing displacement crisis that is affecting millions of lives across the Arab region and globally,” said the organisation’s founder Abdul Aziz Al Ghurair.

“Together we can build practical and innovative solutions that will help create a better future for our youth, particularly through the power of strategic Islamic philanthropy.”

People who wish to donate to the campaign can do so on the UNHCR's Ramadan appeal webpage.

Palestine refugees appeal

Meanwhile, the UN's organisation for Palestinian refugees has appealed for $16.2 million to support the humanitarian and early recovery needs of those affected by the earthquake in Syria.

The UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) called on all participants at Monday's international donor conference in Brussels to support their Syria-Lebanon Flash Appeal.

The agency reported that nearly 47,000 Palestine refugees in Aleppo, Latakia, Jableh and Hama were affected by the earthquake, with more than 2,300 displaced.

UNRWA was able to respond to the needs of the affected population it could gain access to, providing food and non-food items such as hygiene kits and blankets, psycho-social support for children, and telemedicine support for vulnerable people, including the elderly.

The agency said about 10,000 Palestinian refugees living in north-west Syria have been affected by the earthquake and urgently need assistance.