The number of Syrians forced to seek shelter abroad since civil war began in March 2011 surpassed 2 million people on 2 September with no sign of the outflow ending soon. This trend represents a jump of close to 1.8 million people in 12 months.

In view of the pressure the refugee exodus is placing on surrounding countries, government ministers from Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey announced with UNHCR on 4 September that they will jointly seek an urgent and major expansion of international help for the region. The ministers and UNHCR expressed serious concern about the deteriorating humanitarian situation in the region and the devastating impact this is having on countries hosting large Syrian refugee populations, including the worsening economic impact.