Syrian conflict could blight generations of children warns report

Syrian refugee children, from the cover of the World Vision report The Cost of Conflict for Children

The economic聽fallout from Syria国产视频檚 war may be felt for generations because of聽the high number of children going without an education, an aid聽agency has warned.

World Vision predicted the cost of recovery from the聽five-year conflict could spiral to almost $700 billion 国产视频� close聽to the estimated total market value of American tech giant Apple 国产视频撀爀ven if it ended this year.

国产视频淭he war in Syria has shattered the lives of over eight million聽children. Unless we act now, this war won国产视频檛 just affect a聽generation of children but their children国产视频檚 children,国产视频� said Tim聽Pilkington, Chief Executive of World Vision UK.聽

The United Nations says the conflict has left 2.8 million聽Syrian children out of school, more than a quarter of a million聽people dead and triggered an exodus of more than four million聽refugees.

The Syrian Centre for Policy Research estimates nearly 25聽million years of schooling had been lost by the end of 2015,聽meaning a likely reduction in lifelong earnings, the World Vision report, The Cost of Conflict for Children, said.

Pilkington said rich governments needed to start thinking聽about Syria国产视频檚 recovery now, to avoid their 国产视频減ost-war planning聽failures国产视频� after recent conflicts elsewhere.

World Vision analysed data from the World Bank, the United聽Nations and the Total Economy Database to estimate how much聽Syria国产视频檚 economy would have grown had the country remained聽stable.

It found the cost of the conflict to date had swollen to聽$275 billion in lost growth alone. The growth rate had at times聽dipped to nearly 25% less than if war had not broken out,聽the report said.

Even if the war were to end this year, it would take at聽least 10 to 15 years for Syria国产视频檚 gross domestic product per capita聽to recover to pre-conflict levels, the research found.

The war has also taken its toll on Syria国产视频檚 neighbours,聽especially Lebanon and Jordan, whose exports to Syria have聽shrunk dramatically, the report said.

World Bank data showed that the direct cost to the Lebanese聽government of hosting Syrian refugees stood at just over $1聽billion between 2012 and 2014, because of increased demand for聽electricity and public services like education, the report said.

The data showed Jordan had seen a $0.9 billion rise in聽public spending between 2012 and 2013 due to the influx of聽refugees.

The impact of the conflict on Turkey国产视频檚 economy was聽negligible or 国产视频渕oderately positive国产视频�, because the influx of聽refugees had also generated higher-wage jobs for Turkish聽workers, the report said.

But the lives of those displaced within Syria were feeling聽the greatest strain, World Vision UK国产视频檚 boss said.

国产视频淲ith their homes, schools and hospitals bombed and their聽friends and families killed, many have been forced into聽appalling living conditions and abject poverty,国产视频� Pilkington聽said.

国产视频淔aced with their suffering, it国产视频檚 hard to think in terms of聽cold economic costs. But financial loss聽translates into human loss. We must prepare the ground for peace聽now.国产视频�

Read the full World Vision report.

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