Brussels, 25/09/2013 (Agence Europe) - With €1.8 billion currently committed in response to the Syrian crisis, in Syria itself and its neighbouring countries, the European Union is the top donor of funds and has helped some 7 million people - in other words 80% of the population affected by this widescale humanitarian crisis, said the European Commission on Wednesday 25 September. This was an opportunity for European Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response Kristalina Georgieva to call on international donors to step up their efforts as the humanitarian situation continues to worsen - particularly in Damascus, Alep, Hassake, Hama and Homs.
“The Syrian civil war has created a humanitarian catastrophe the likes of which we have not seen in decades, with children accounting for more than half of its victims. Europe is making a huge effort to help all those in dire need but even with the extraordinary sums we are raising it is not enough”, Georgieva said. She was participating in the high level meeting on Syria in New York on Tuesday 24 September - a meeting which was organised by the UK mission to the United Nations, on the sidelines of the General Assembly which is currently taking place.
Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy Stefan Füle gave assurances that the EU will continue to support the Syrian people and Syria's neighbouring countries. “Apart from covering the basic humanitarian needs we make great efforts to help especially providing education to Syrian children and support also for neighbouring countries, which come under enormous economic and social pressures by hosting ever increasing number of Syria refugees”, he said
The number of victims from the Syrian crisis who need aid is approaching 9 million, in other words half the total population of the country. Out of these 9 million, 6.8 million (including 5 million displaced people inside the country) require emergency humanitarian aid. The number of refugees has passed the 2 million mark, half of them being children. (AN/transl.fl)