European Bank Marks World Refugee Day

June 20, 2018//-The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) today marks World Refugee Day and remembers the millions of people around the world forced to leave their homes because of violence and war.

 The EBRD is also paying tribute to the resilience of the many nations that have welcomed refugees in a spirit of solidarity and turned overwhelming challenges into economic opportunities.

For the past two years the EBRD has been responding to the refugee crisis caused by the Syrian conflict, providing support in Jordan and Turkey, to where millions of people have fled.

To help these countries cope with the emergency, the EBRD has so far invested €352 million to improve municipal services, promote small and medium-sized enterprises and stimulate economic inclusion. Projects have been funded with a blend of EBRD finance and grants from donors.

The EBRD’s response to the refugee crisis targets host communities and refugees alike. It improves public services such as water and solid waste management to alleviate pressures caused by a rapidly increasing population.

It helps to increase employment opportunities with finance and advice to small businesses and offers inclusion programmes to advance economic participation through skill mapping and training, with a focus on young people and women.

In Jordan, the EBRD has provided over €100 million to the Greater Amman Municipality to help the city cope with a 25 per cent increase in the generation of waste.

It  financed the construction of a wastewater network in 15 towns in West Irbid, providing sanitation for the first time to approximately 105,000 residents and helped construction companies  offer training and employment opportunities to both host and refugee communities.

The Bank’s business advisory programmes have reached hundreds of small and medium-sized enterprises in Turkey and Jordan, including those employing or led by Syrians.

In Turkey, for example, the Bank is boosting the capacity of Gaziantep’s Chamber of Commerce to better serve local businesses, including many owned by Syrians.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Leave a Reply

*