GENEVA — UNFPA accepted today a donation of $5 million from the Government of Kuwait to respond to the urgent needs of displaced people in Syria and of refugees in neighboring countries.

These indispensable funds will allow UNFPA to continue saving women's lives, help them deliver babies safely, and protect them from gender-based violence. "Thanks to this donation, UNFPA will able to scale up its humanitarian assistance and to establish hubs inside Syria, including mobile clinics, in key areas and cities within Syria," said Alanna Armitage, UNFPA's Director in Geneva during a donation ceremony organized by OCHA, the Office of Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs, and the Permanent Mission of Kuwait in Geneva.

UNFPA will also be able to sustain and increase current lifesaving reproductive health services for refugees by providing maternal health clinics, psychosocial support and safe spaces for women and girls.

Syrian women overcome immense obstacles to provide care and safety for their families even as their own vulnerability increases and the international community has to meet its responsibilities to help them.

UNFPA's Executive Director, Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin, who has just returned from Türkiye and Jordan where he visited refugee camps, commended the generosity of the government of Kuwait. "Moving forward, we need to expand our services and mobilize resources to protect women and girls and to provide for their needs," Dr. Osotimehin explained.

UNFPA, along with other United Nations agencies, will urgently require additional funds to continue responding to the crisis. More than $25 million will be necessary in the coming year for UNFPA to continue its work throughout the region, including in Syria.