Brussels, 15/01/2014 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 14 January, the European Commission announced that it would pledge an extra €165 million for “vital” humanitarian assistance and for areas such as education, emergency medical aid, the provision of water, food and shelter, and support to host communities and local societies. This aid was officially announced at the International Pledging Conference for Syria in Kuwait on Wednesday 15 January (see EUROPE 10996). The objective of the conference is to mobilise US$6.5 billion for victims of the war in Syria - fundraising presented by the United Nations as the most important in its history for an emergency situation. In total 69 countries and 24 international organisations are participating in the conference. The UN needs $2.3 billion to help 2.3 million people in Syria, and $4.2 billion for refugees - the number of whom is expected to almost double in 2014 to 4.1 million people.
The additional funding announced by the EU will bring the total EU funding since the start of the crisis to over €1.1 billion, including €615 million in life saving humanitarian aid. “The Syrian people continue to endure a tragic ordeal”, said European Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, said Kristalina Georgieva. “I hope that other donors will demonstrate their solidarity with the innocent victims of this war. This is the only way to avoid an even greater deterioration in this massive humanitarian crisis”, she said.
However, money is not the only need. According to Human Rights Watch, the donors should “push the Syrian government” to authorise the distribution of humanitarian aid, especially in the rebel areas besieged by the army. “Syrian authorities have also been unwilling to allow access into besieged areas or civilians to leave towns where an estimated 288,000 people are trapped with little or no aid”, the NGO deplores. Georgieva stressed “the absolute need to respect international humanitarian law and to apply humanitarian principles at all times when delivering assistance”, and she appealed to all parties to the conflict to facilitate the delivery of aid to wherever it is needed. (LC/CG/transl.fl)