Drop in the Ocean: Aid Agencies Question Britain’s Refugee Commitment

As he arrived in Lebanon to visit refugee camps in the country, British Prime Minister David Cameron declared that he was proud of the UK’s contribution to the refugee crisis, saying that hundreds of thousands more Syrian refugees would have "risked their lives to get to Europe" if it weren’t for British aid in the region.

On top of accepting 20,000 Syrian refugees from camps in Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey over the next five years, Cameron announced he would boost funding to Lebanon by $45 million (£29 million) to help deal with the crisis.

'More Needs to Be Done'

However aid agencies have been highly critical of the extent of the UK’s commitment to helping refugees displaced by the conflict in Syria and other parts of the Middle East.

"It is the right strategy but it is a drop in the ocean compared to the need," Tom Thorogood from the United Nations Development Program said, before adding that "much, much more needs to be done."

Lisa Khaled on the UNHCR said that despite the funding, the resources in many of the refugee camps were scarce, which triggered many people to make the dangerous voyage to Europe.

"People are living in desperate situation," she said.

"They came with their savings but now have nothing left. They have heard stories about life in Europe and as the situation deteriorates here the draw is greater. All we have money for at the moment are people's most very basic needs — nothing more than life-saving interventions. You can understand why people are seeking just normal opportunities in Europe that are impossible here." 

UK Defends Commitment

The UK Conservative government has criticized EU plans to introduce refugee quotas and resettle 160,000 people across the bloc, arguing that opening the doors to refugees will only encourage more people to make the risky voyage to Europe, while it won’t target the cause of the refugee crisis.

British officials have pointed out that on top of offering asylum to 20,000 people over the next five years, the UK sits behind only the United States when it comes to aid funding, as it is the only EU country that spends 0.7 percent of its GDP on international aid.

Former British foreign secretary David Miliband, who is the CEO of aid agency the International Rescue Committee (IRC), called on EU leaders to come to a common agreement over the refugee crisis, labeling the current response "fragmented and lacklustre".

"Europe is facing its largest refugee crisis since the end of World War II. Each country needs to shoulder the burden and agree to both relocate refugees who have reached the continent and resettle the most vulnerable from the Middle East."

Miliband also took aim at David Cameron’s pledge, contrasting the offer to resettle 20,000 refugees over five years with the huge numbers of people who have entered the continent, with some expecting Germany to receive 800,000 refugees this year alone.

"The UK’s decision to annually resettle 4,000 Syrian refugees over the next five years is the equivalent of accepting the number arriving on a single day on the beaches of the Greek island of Lesbos, where the IRC is providing humanitarian assistance. The total offer of 20,000 is the same as the number of refugees who arrived in Munich last weekend," said Miliband.

"The EU needs to agree on a comprehensive plan to provide people fleeing conflict and persecution with safe, legal ways to make the journey. The EU should also expand resettlement programs, family reunification initiatives and humanitarian visas to spare those on the move the exploitation of the smugglers’ routes."