The number of people fleeing the civil war in Syria has now passed four million, according to the United Nations refugee agency.
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At least an additional 7.6m people are displaced inside Syria.
The great Syrian emigration is the second largest since 1992, when the exodus from Afghanistan recorded a staggering 4.6 million population being displaced.
Harper emphasized that countries involved had to figure out ways to keep the Syrian refugees productive.
UNHCR spokesman Adrian Edwards told VOA conditions for the refugees in the host countries are worsening, and that more of them are sinking into poverty and desperation. “In reality, the figure is even higher as it does not include more than 270,000 asylum applications by Syrians in Europe, and thousands of others not resettled in regional neighbours”, the report said.
In June, more than 24,000 Syrians fled to Turkey, which already is the world’s biggest refugee hosting country.
Edwards said many refugees see no prospect of returning home in the near future and this is driving larger numbers toward Europe and farther afield.
“This is the biggest refugee population from a single conflict in a generation”.
Most refugees from Syria’s four years of war are in Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Egypt and Turkey, which has more refugees than any other country, with 1.8 million Syrians.
The United Nations says it appealed for $5.5bn in funding from donors to ensure it could continue to provide the humanitarian funds required but as on last month only a quarter of the money had arrived.
“This means refugees face tough new cuts in food aid, and struggle to afford life-saving health services or send their children to school”, it cautioned.
Around 86 percent of all refugees living outside of camps in Jordan living below the poverty line of $3.20 per day, and 55 percent of Syrian refugees in Lebanon are living in sub-standard shelters, it said.
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The Syrian conflict has entered in its fifth year but with little hope in sight of a possible solution and the number of people fleeing the war zone is rising. He said the lack of money is putting huge pressure on the refugees and local communities hosting them.
