Source: UN High Commissioner for Refugees
Country: Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Syrian Arab Republic, Turkey
Syria and Iraq situations (Syria, Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, and Egypt)
UNHCR continues its strategic shift from the distribution of in-kind relief items to the provision of humanitarian cash assistance to refugees, primarily through ATM cards and vouchers.
These programmes target the most vulnerable and are linked to UNHCR’s innovative biometric iris scan registration system, to increase efficiency and reduce overheads and the risk of fraud.
Cash assistance provides greater dignity and choice for refugees, while providing benefits to the local economies where refugees are spending the cash they receive under these programmes.