Brussels, 10/12/2012 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission will release a further €30 million in humanitarian aid for the victims of the Syrian crisis - both inside the country and in the countries welcoming Syrian refugees. This additional aid was announced by the Commission on Monday 10 December. The funds - taken from the ECHO (European Commission's humanitarian aid and civil protection department) budget - will finance health care for the wounded and those needing emergency treatment, the supply of food, drinking water, sanitation services and household items. Around 2 million people in Syria and more than 474,000 refugees should be able to benefit from the aid, as will vulnerable communities accommodating displaced persons in the country and host families for Syrian refugees in Jordan and Lebanon.
“With the onset of winter and intensive fighting throughout the country, the humanitarian situation in Syria is deteriorating daily. The suffering civilians are on the move and struggling with a worsening crisis - over 1.2 million are displaced in Syria itself and almost half a million across the borders to Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey and Iraq. This dire situation calls for a new gesture of Europe's solidarity with the Syrian people and their hosts until a viable political solution to this terrible conflict can be found”, said European Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response Kristalina Georgieva. The aid will be channelled through ECHO partner organisations that are on the ground (United Nations agencies, the Red Cross and the Red Crescent, and NGOs). This new funding will bring the EU's humanitarian aid to the Syrian crisis to over €310 million (including €126 million from the European Commission alone) - in other words, more than half of all humanitarian aid provided by the international community. According to estimates, 4 million people are affected by the violence. There are apparently at least 1.2 million displaced persons and more than 474,000 refugees in the neighbouring countries (Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey Iraq, and North Africa). (AN/transl.fl)