On Friday 13 December, the European Union announced the implementation of an airlift to Syria to provide emergency healthcare and other essential supplies, mobilising several stocks located in the region.
“We have increased our humanitarian funding for this year to over €160 million. We are also launching a humanitarian airlift carrying vital supplies such as food, medicines and shelter”, said the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen.
The EU-funded aid flights will bring a total of 50 tonnes of health supplies from stocks mobilised in Dubai.
Forty-six tonnes of health, education and shelter supplies from another EU stockpile in Denmark will be trucked to Adana and supplied to UNICEF and the World Health Organization for distribution inside Syria.
The Commission has also mobilised a further €4 million to meet the most urgent humanitarian needs of the population. (Original version in French by Isalia Stieffatre)