Mark Zuckerberg To Provide Free Internet To Refugees In Camps Across Europe

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerburg has announced that he is working with the United Nations to bring free internet to Syrian refugee camps.

The social network's CEO told UN representatives in a speech on Saturday that he believed the internet was a 'force for peace'.

He added that it would help refugees get better support from the aid community and help them maintain links to family and loved ones, according to CNET.

Zuckerberg, 31, was addressing the Private Sector Forum at the world body's headquarters in New York.

He cited research that claimed that for every ten people who gain access to the internet, one person is lifted out of poverty.

'The Internet is more than just a network of machines, it is the key driver of social and economic progress in our time,' said Zuckerberg in his speech.

'A like or a post won't stop a tank or a bullet, but when people are connected, we have the chance to build a common global community with a shared understanding.'

It's unclear exactly how Zuckerberg would bring Internet connectivity and Facebook to the hundreds of thousands of refugees living in camps.

The largest refugee population is from war-torn Syria - where Facebook, incidentally, is banned. An estimated four million Syrians have fled from the country since 2011.

Around 80,000 of them live in just one refugee camp - the Zaatari in northern Jordan.

-Daily Mail