The humanitarian needs of the Syrian population, those of Syrian refugees and their host communities in host countries and support for United Nations efforts to contribute to a lasting political solution in Syria will be at the heart of the Brussels III International Conference 'Supporting Syria and the Region', from 12 to 14 March in Brussels. The contributions of civil society, during a day and a half of dialogue (12 and 13 March), will feed into the ministerial conference on 14 March.
The aim of this conference, co-chaired by the EU and the United Nations, and the third to be held in the Belgian capital, is to mobilise the donor community to respond to UN appeals for donations, to "continue to support the Syrian population and to put the population at the centre of international attention", a senior EU official said on Friday 8 March.
As the war enters its ninth year, more than 85 countries and regional organisations are expected to attend the ministerial segment of the conference to discuss all aspects of the Syrian crisis – political, humanitarian and regional development. No representative of the Syrian regime or the opposition will be present.
“We have already had exchanges with the new UN Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, on how to use this conference not only for a humanitarian pledge that we want to keep as high as possible on the international and European agenda, but also for defining how we can support a political transition in Syria and the UN role in this respect,” the High Representative said in a statement summarising the issues.
As every year, the conference will therefore be an opportunity to discuss the political situation in Syria, while the regime has resumed almost the entire country and fighting continues to suppress the very last pocket held by the Islamic State organisation.
Europeans should reiterate that they support a political solution that will guarantee lasting stability in Syria, that they will not participate in the reconstruction of the country without a political transition and that the time has not come to normalise relations with the Syrian regime. “There is no movement of the regime that deserves a movement on our part," a European source said. Some Gulf countries have reopened their embassies in Damascus and some major powers, such as China, Russia and Iran, are beginning to invest in the reconstruction of the country. The issue of accountability should also be raised.
According to a European source, the conference could be an opportunity for the international community to respond to the five priorities highlighted by the new Special Envoy. At the end of February, Mr Pedersen presented his plan to the United Nations Security Council: to deepen his dialogue with the Syrian government and the opposition, to work for more concrete action on the issue of detainees and abducted or missing persons, to involve the population more in peace efforts, to convene a “credible” constitutional committee as soon as possible and to help the international parties to strengthen their dialogue to reach a credible and lasting political solution.
The conference will also reaffirm, once again, the international community's political and financial support for Syria's neighbours, in particular Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey, but also Iraq and Egypt. The issue of refugee return, which several host countries are already calling for, but which the UN – and therefore the EU – considers premature, could also be addressed.
The EU will continue its financial support
The donor conference will focus on grant commitments for 2019 to meet the enormous needs. 11.7 million people need urgent humanitarian assistance (health, nutrition, shelter, water, protection), 2.1 million children are out of school, more than 6 million people are displaced within the country; in total, 13 million people need assistance and refugee host countries need more resources.
Since the beginning of the crisis in 2011, the EU and its Member States have committed €17 billion (including more than €7 billion from the EU budget) in humanitarian and resilience assistance for Syria and the most affected neighbouring countries (Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt). The amount to be announced by the EU will be "very significant and will allow the EU to remain by far one of the largest donors," a source said on Friday.
The report on the follow-up of commitments, published on 8 March by the co-presidency of the Brussels III conference, is encouraging. It shows that the international community has exceeded by 38% the initial pledges made at last year's donor conference (see EUROPE 12009/17). While donors had pledged $4.3 billion (€3.5 billion) for 2018, by the end of 2018 commitments had reached $6 billion (€5 billion).
For the period 2019-2020, donors had already mobilized $1.7 billion (€1.4 billion) by February 2019, or 49% of commitments ($3.5 billion or €2.9 billion). As for the loans promised to refugee host countries for 2018-2019, they reached $16.4 billion (€13.7 billion), or 77% of the target ($21.2 billion or €17.2 billion).
Civil society in the spotlight
In the run-up to the ministerial conference, civil society – Syrian and international NGOs – will therefore meet on 12 and 13 March at the European Parliament in Brussels to discuss: – the economic and civic empowerment of young people; – forced population movements and comprehensive solutions to be provided; – the socio-economic recovery of refugee host countries; – the protection of populations; – justice and social cohesion in Syria; – education and child protection. More than 1,000 participants are expected.
In addition, on 12 March, the EU will host the Syria Digital Lab, which will explore how digital solutions can be developed to support Syria and its people, strengthen citizenship and civil society, encourage entrepreneurship and involve young people and women.
On the morning of 14 March, a breakfast on the theme 'Guaranteeing justice and sustainable peace in Syria' will also be organised on the initiative of nine Member States (Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Finland, Slovenia, Sweden and the United Kingdom), Liechtenstein and Switzerland. On this occasion, Sweden could reiterate its idea of an international tribunal to try foreign fighters who fought alongside the Islamic State group in Syria.
To view the commitment monitoring report: https://bit.ly/2H8inka. (Original version in French by Aminata Niang and Camille-Cerise Gessant)