UK will fund scheme to get refugees to move to Asia and Latin America

A new scheme that hopes to encourage refugees from Syria and other nations to start new lives in Asia and Latin America is to be funded by the British government, Theresa May has said.

The commitment, part of a package of measures to help alleviate the crisis of migrants and refugees seeking to reach Europe via the Mediterranean, forms part of £30m in funding announced by Downing Street at an EU summit in Malta.

Among measures intended to reduce the flow of people seeking to reach Europe is £2.5m in UK funding for a UN-organised scheme intended to see richer nations help countries in Asia and Latin America accept and support some refugees.

The spending will include supplies for thousands of refugees facing desperate conditions in Greece and eastern Europe, including warm clothes, shelter and medical care. There is also a special UK fund to support vulnerable female refugees travelling alone.

The voluntary programme, officially called the emerging resettlement countries joint support mechanism, is at an early stage – none of the host countries has yet been confirmed – but is intended to help both the refugees and the countries they arrive in.

It would see countries get help building factories or other infrastructure for the new arrivals, who would provide manual labour and in some cases skills, such as those of engineers or doctors, many of whom have fled Syria.

Jointly run by the UN refugee agency and the International Organisation for Migration, the scheme is intended to help up to 30,000 people move over three years. The total cost is expected to be about £90m.

It was first announced as part of a UN summit on refugees held in September.

The international development secretary, Priti Patel, whose department jointly made the announcement, said Britain was “stepping up its support for the most vulnerable refugees who are at risk and need our help”.

“This latest support from the UK will help those who decide they want to return home to do so safely, protect men, women and children from exploitation, and ensure that those caught in freezing conditions get the basic help they need to survive,” she said.