AlQa'dah 24, 1434, Sep 30, 2013, SPA -- The U.N. development agency warned Monday that Syria's refugee crisis is threatening economic development across the Middle East because host countries cannot cope with the influx of Syrians fleeing violence. U.N. Development Program (UNDP) Administrator Helen Clark told a meeting in Geneva that the situation not only poses a humanitarian crisis but also threatens economies of neighboring countries including Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, and Turkey due to its impact on trade, agriculture, tourism, employment, and demands on water use. Clark said that by the end of the year, refugees will account for almost 25 percent of Lebanon's population. The figure already has reached 10 percent in Jordan. She added that "clearly, the costs on host communities and countries cannot be borne by them alone."
