UNHCR to double cash-based assistance to refugees by 2020

The UN refugee agency on Monday announced that it will double funds for cash-based assistance to refugees across the world by 2020 as a way to better assist and protect them.

Filippo Grandi, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in a statement received here said over the years cash-based assistance has had an effect on the life of refugees and forcibly displaced people.

"The use of cash-based assistance has been a real game changer in the way we help refugees and we have now decided to make it a worldwide policy and expand it to all our operations, where feasible," he said.

He said by giving refugees cash, they can purchase what they need and also decide how to manage their family budget.

The agency said the cash assistance also benefits local business and economies which fosters relationships between the host and refugee communities.

A recent study by the University of California, Davis and the UN World Food Program found that humanitarian assistance for refugees in Uganda creates significant economic benefits for local economies, particularly when that assistance is provided in cash form.

The agency said it is providing cash-based interventions in 60 countries. It said next year it will introduce and expand cash-based assistance to vulnerable refugees and people in need of help in 15 additional countries, including Niger, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Somalia, Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, Afghanistan and Iran. Endit