On the occasion of Eid al-Adha in the Muslim World, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, UNHCR, has renewed its call for dedicating Zakat funds to help the most vulnerable families in the region.

With the number of displaced people and the funding needed to support millions of these refugees increasing continuously, the UN Refugee Agency is working relentlessly to secure funding to provide protection and better living conditions to vulnerable families.

The UNHCR has been authorised according to recent fatwas to collect and distribute Zakat funds directly to refugees living below poverty line.

The collected Zakat funds are used to help thousands of Syrian refugees who are in dire need of direct cash assistance, which helps them afford the basic living necessities, such as rent, healthcare and education, the UNHCR said in a press release on the eve of the Muslim sacrifice festivities.

The UNHCR Regional Representative to the GCC Countries, Khaled Khalifa, has urged philanthropists in the region, who wish to fulfil their Zakat obligation during the upcoming days, to remember the refugees.

"We were able to continue the provision of cash assistance programme because of the Zakat donations received during the holy month of Ramadan. We hope to see a similar interest in giving Zakat to sustain the cash assistance programme, as it’s considered a lifeline for many struggling families," he said.

Wars and conflicts around the world keep stirring waves of forced displacement and exacerbate the situations of refugees, with some 65.6 million people displaced in several countries particularly in Iraq, Syria and Yemen. This puts pressure on the resources of host countries on one hand and on the resources of the United Nations and other humanitarian agencies on the other.

The Middle East and North African region continues to host the largest number of refugees and internally displaced people worldwide, with more than 17.7 million people, including children, accounting for half of these figures.

The UNHCR, with the support of its partners, is providing protection to refugees, internally displaced people and stateless persons in various parts of the world.