UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency and the Government of the kingdom Saudi Arabia, represented by the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD), have signed a cooperation agreement worth US $5 million in support of Syrian internally displaced persons.

The agreement, which was signed at the Saudi Fund for Development’s headquarters (SFD) in Riyadh, KSA by Dr. Khalid Bin Sulaiman AlKhudairy, SFD’s Vice President and Managing Director, and Khaled Khalifa, UNHCR Regional Representative to the GCC, is to improve shelter conditions for internally displaced Syrians.

This generous contribution by the government of the Saudi Arabia comes at a time in which the Syrian crisis, now in its eighth year, has forced over 6.6 million Syrians to flee their homes inside the country,in addition to forcing some 5.6 million Syrians to flee to neighboring countries. The majority of those forcibly displaced, whether inside or outside Syria are living under harsh conditions and are in dire need of support and assistance.

The agreement with the Saudi Fund for Development will enable UNHCR to provide vital shelter support for 13,210 vulnerable internally displaced Syrian families.

This cooperation agreement is a continuation of the strategic humanitarian partnership between UNHCR and SFD. The cooperation represents fundamental element of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s humanitarian efforts in response to the Syrian crisis in support of refugees and Internally Displaced Persons. The Saudi Fund has contributed some US $38.7 million for projects for Syrian refugees and internally displaced persons covering water and electricity infrastructure programs as well as rehabilitation of shelters in Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria.