Mercy Corps: Syrian Refugee Crisis A 'Humanitarian Time Bomb'

– Unprecedented scale and speed of refugee exodus strains neighboring countries and threatens to destabilize the region

WASHINGTON, Oct. 8, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- With more than 2 million Syrians seeking refuge in Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and Iraq, significant gaps are left by a global aid system focused almost exclusively on short-term emergency assistance, says Neal Keny-Guyer, chief executive officer of Mercy Corps. Speaking at a National Press Club Newsmaker, Keny-Guyer noted that three years on, the conflict shows no sign of abating and the situation will worsen in the months ahead.

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"The world is in denial of a ticking humanitarian time-bomb with catastrophic consequences," says Keny-Guyer. "The international community is managing this crisis like they would a short-term emergency from which everyone will go home soon."

As winter approaches, the Syrian refugee population and host communities continue to face numerous challenges including increasingly scarce and polluted water, growing food insecurity and heightened tensions caused by the influx of refugees into communities with already strained infrastructures and fragile economies.

"It's time for us to begin planning for a different kind of humanitarian response," says Keny-Guyer.  Based on Mercy Corps' decades of experience, he called on the U.S. Congress to increase the allocation of flexible funding that can be spent on longer-term programs such as water infrastructure, jobs creation and other development projects.  Keny-Guyer also called on the international community to:

1. Step up to their global responsibilities and meet the United Nations call for $4.4 billion in aid funding.
2. Support Syria's neighboring countries, politically and financially, to help them manage the strain of hosting millions of new residents.
3. Support the United Nations call to respect the U.N.'s guiding principles of humanitarian emergency assistance and to provide greater humanitarian access.

"We want to work – and need to work – in a way that tackles long-term issues," says Keny-Guyer.  "We must deliver aid in an impartial way and help communities of different backgrounds find a common future."

Read Keny-Guyer's remarks.

About Mercy Corps
Mercy Corps helps people turn the crises they confront into the opportunities they deserve by  providing communities in the world's toughest places with the tools and support they need to transform their own lives. Our team in 41 countries is improving the lives of 19 million people. www.mercycorps.org.

SOURCE Mercy Corps