Bond markets could help alleviate the Syrian refugee crisis

One of the biggest issues plaguing efforts to help the millions of refugees flowing out of Syria is a lack of funding. In September, the World Food Program (WFP) had to drop one-third of Syrian refugees from its food-voucher program, including nearly 300,000 in Jordan alone. Abeer Etefa, WFP regional spokesperson for the Middle East, said the agency needed $236 million to keep its food-voucher program afloat through November. One way of remedying the issue may lie in bond markets. In a move that could potentially raise tens of billions in economic assistance to the region, the United Nations, World Bank, and Islamic Development Bank have unveiled a plan to issue bonds.