/R E P E A T -- MEDIA ADVISORY - UNICEF Canada CEO in Jordan and available for comment on Syrian humanitarian and refugee crisis and Canada's commitment/

Syrian refugee Sara, second from right, holds her son Ahmed, 1, as she stands with her daughters Hanan, 4, left, Fatima, 3, second from left, and son Ali, 5, right, as they wear new winter clothes distributed by UNICEF at an informal tented settlement near Mafraq, Jordan, Wednesday, 21 December, 2016. UNICEF aims to reach 150,000 disadvantaged children living in Syrian refugee camps, host communities and other difficult locations across Jordan with assistance this winter. UNICEF’s 2016/2017 winter assistance programme in Jordan is helping thousands of vulnerable Syrian refugee families protect their children from the cold. With temperatures dropping close to freezing in many parts of country, UNICEF is using a mixed strategy of cash support and in-kind distribution to urgently support over 150,000 disadvantaged children living in refugee camps, host communities and other difficult. As of December 2016, all children in Za’atari and Azraq refugee camps, over 60,000, are receiving a one-time cash grant of 20 Jordanian Dinars (~USD28) per child. UNICEF is supporting the Norwegian Refugee Council to distribute the cash directly to the heads of households. In addition, over 25,000 of the most vulnerable children in host communities are also receiving a similar winter cash assistance from UNICEF. Families are being informed through mobile text messages, posters, flyers and awareness sessions that the UNICEF cash assistance is for the winter needs of their children. Outside camps, in areas with limited access to the market, and to families encamped at Jordan’s northeastern border, UNICEF is delivering winter kits to more than 65,000 children through partners. (CNW Group/UNICEF Canada)

TORONTO, Feb. 22, 2017 /CNW/ - UNICEF Canada's President and CEO David Morley will be joining the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Minister of International Development and La Francophonie, to visit Canadian-support Makani centres in Jordan and is available for comment on the ongoing refugee crisis and humanitarian response across the region. They will also be joined by UNICEF's Middle East and North Africa Humanitarian Affairs Chief Genevieve Boutin, a Canadian, who can speak with French media about the crisis. 

On March 15, the Syrian conflict will enter its seventh year. The crisis continues to have a devastating impact on children, including six million children inside Syria and more than 2.3 million refugee children across the region who are in urgent need of support. Currently, 1.7 million Syrian children are out of school. Last year, there were 2,300 verified reports of grave violations against children in Syria.

Based on direct interaction with displaced Syrian children and families in Jordan, David Morley can comment on UNICEF's work to provide clean water, sanitation and hygiene facilities, life-saving immunizations, education and psychosocial support to children who have lived through almost six years of deadly violence.

He can also comment on the impact of Canada's contribution to response efforts, including the $31.8 million Syrian Emergency Relief Fund generously donated by the Government of Canada in support of UNICEF's work, allowing UNICEF to help the most vulnerable and the hardest to reach Syrian children with critical immunizations, life-saving support, education and protection from violence in Jordan and Syria.

In 2017, UNICEF has appealed for $1.4 billion to support children inside Syria and those living as refugees in neighbouring countries. Learn more about UNICEF's response to the Syrian crisis at http://www.unicef.ca/en/children-syria-canadas-response.

David Morley has more than 30 years of experience advancing children's rights and sustainable development on the world stage, and has had leadership roles in a number of global responses to humanitarian crises over the last two decades.

Who:	UNICEF Canada President and CEO David Morley (English)
	UNICEF Middle East and North Africa Humanitarian Affairs Chief Genevieve Boutin (French)
What:	Emergency response to the ongoing Syrian humanitarian and refugee crisis impacting more than eight million children across Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and Turkey.
Where:	David Morley is available for comment in English (via phone/Skype/FaceTime) from Jordan.
	Genevieve Boutin is available for comment in French (via phone/Skype/FaceTime) from Jordan.
When:	From Thursday, February 23, at 8 a.m. ET to Friday, February 24, at 4 p.m. ET.
Visuals:	On Thursday, David Morley and Genevieve Boutin will be visiting informal tented settlements, where they will be able to demonstrate the scale of the refugee crisis and response. Visuals include:
	Makani centres Informal Tented Settlements Humanitarian workers

About UNICEF

UNICEF has saved more children's lives than any other humanitarian organization. We work tirelessly to help children and their families, doing whatever it takes to ensure children survive. We provide children with healthcare and immunization, clean water, nutrition and food security, education, emergency relief and more.

UNICEF is supported entirely by voluntary donations and helps children regardless of race, religion or politics. As part of the UN, we are active in over 190 countries - more than any other organization. Our determination and our reach are unparalleled. Because nowhere is too far to go to help a child survive. For more information about UNICEF, please visit www.unicef.ca. For updates, follow us on Twitter and Facebook or visit unicef.ca

SOURCE UNICEF Canada

or to arrange an interview please contact: Stefanie Carmichael, Communications Specialist, UNICEF Canada, Office; 416-482-6552 ext. 8866 Cell: 437-345-6324, [email protected]