As of November 2008, approximately one million Iraqi refugees are living in or around the city of Damascus, capital of the Syrian Arab Republic. Only one fifth, or roughly 200,000 of these refugees are registered with the United Nations' refugee agency, UNHCR. All those that register - new arrivals and those already registered - must pass through the world's largest refugee administration post,...
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As of November 2008, approximately one million Iraqi refugees are living in or around the city of Damascus, capital of the Syrian Arab Republic. Only one fifth, or roughly 200,000 of these refugees are registered with the United Nations' refugee agency, UNHCR. All those that register - new arrivals and those already registered - must pass through the world's largest refugee administration post, built by UNHCR on the outskirts of Damascus. According to UNHCR, the post processed an average of 3000 new Iraqi refugees per month in 2008, down from a peak of 10,000 per month in late 2007. Through this facility UNHCR interviews Iraqi refugees for placement in third countries like Australia, the USA, Canada and the UK, and distributes food, financial and material aid packages.
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