U.N. urges more countries to host 180,000 refugees

More than 30 humanitarian organizations launched an appeal on Monday for countries to take in around 180,000 refugees from the Syrian conflict, according to Agence France Presse.

If countries would welcome 180,000 refugees, and an accompanying aid package and economic support was provided to the nations that open their doors, “it would also encourage those countries to keep their borders open to ensure those in Syria can flee the conflict, and could contribute to their stability,” the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said.

“Syria’s neighboring countries have shown incredible generosity over the last three and a half years, but the strain of the crisis is weighing heavily on infrastructure and public services,” the agency said.

That figure would represent five percent of the projected refugee population by the end of 2015, according to UNHCR.

The matter is expected to be discussed at a conference in Geneva on Tuesday.

After three years of fighting in Syria, more than 3.2 million refugees are registered in neighboring countries.

Turkey and Lebanon, for example, each host more than one million registered refugees.

The UNHCR believes the number could rise to nearly 3.6 million by the end of 2015.

[With AFP]