Brussels – A United Nations and European Union (EU) conference with the presence of donors to Syria raised around USD 4.4 billion to go to the Middle East nation this year. The conference ended this Wednesday (25). Over 30 countries and organizations committed also to an additional USD 3.4 billion to the Arab country next year. The information came from UN News.
The under-secretary-general for Humanitarian Affairs, Mark Lowcock, thanked the help offered by the 36 donors. He said that the amount was “a good start” and that it “will make a real difference in the life of Syrians caught by this terrible crisis.”
During the conference, the UN secretary general, António Guterres (photo) asked, in a video message, for the “remarkable generosity shown by humanitarian donors last year to be sustained and, indeed, if possible, increased.” He pointed out that the “scale of humanitarian needs in Syria remains staggering.”
Despite the difficulties in the peace process, the UN secretary general said that there is good news. In a recent Security Council retreat in Sweden, Guterres sensed “a strong commitment” from the member states to improve the situation.
Translated by Sérgio Kakitani
