EU hosts international conference to collect money for struggling Syrians

The European Union is hosting a conference on Thursday to gather financial support for Syria where deadly earthquakes in February this year exacerbated the already dire condition of people who have been struggling amid a war since 2011.

Calling the requirements “enormous”, three UN agencies have raised concerns over only a tenth of the necessary funding being secured for 2023 projects to help scores of people inside Syria and refugees in the wider region.

A joint statement by Martin Griffiths, Achim Steiner and Filippo Grandi called for “much greater financial support from the international community.” The needs are enormous and more help for the Syrians and the people hosting them is of vital importance, they said.

Alarming Number of Displaced Citizens

According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, over 14 million Syrians have already fled their homes since the conflict erupted in 2011, while around 6.8 million remain internally displaced. Almost the entire population of Syria is known to be living below the poverty line.

Neighbouring Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Egypt are sheltering about 5.5 million Syrian refugees. The UN chiefs said they hoped for a similar level of pledges to the $6.7 billion offered for Syria and its neighbours at a similar conference last year.

They warned UN plans for $5.8 billion aid for Syrians in the wider region and $5.4 billion inside the country this year were critically underfunded.

What Initially Started As Peaceful Protests …

Janez Lenarcic, the EU’s top official for humanitarian aid and crisis management as well as the conference host, said humanitarian funding for war-ravaged Syria is not keeping pace with rapidly growing requirements.

What initially started as peaceful demonstrations against Syrian President Bashar al Assad‘s rule in 2011 gradually exacerbated into a multi-sided conflict bringing in Turkey, Iran, Russia and several other countries. Over 350,000 people have been killed in the war.

Russia eventually tipped the balance in favour of Assad. Last month, the politician saw years of his isolation by regional peers coming to an end as he received a warm welcome at the Arab Summit. But the West refuses to rehabilitate the Syrian president.