ALBAWABA - The European Union hosted a Syrian refugees aid conference today, pledging €2 billion in support for Syrian refugees and their host communities for 2023 and 2024.
Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, encouraged the international community to keep offering aid to Syria and neighboring refugee-hosting countries.
As Borrell spoke at the 7th Brussels Conference on Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region, “will make available €560 million” for 2024 on top of the €1.5 billion “support for the benefit of Syrians in Syria, for the benefit of refugees and their host communities in the region for this calendar year of 2023,” Anadolu Agency reported.
Borrell also highlighted the importance of Turkey's role in delivering assistance to Syrians across borders and asserted that the efforts of the EU will continue as neighboring refugee-hosting countries "bear the heavy burden" of almost 7 million Syrian refugees.
According to UNHCR, the number of Syrians that fled their homes exceeded the 14 million mark, with almost half of them remain displaced within Syria, while the rest fled either to neighboring countries like Jordan and Turkey.
"Humanitarian funding for Syria is not keeping pace with rapidly increasing needs," said Janez Lenarcic, the conference host and the EU's top official for humanitarian aid and crisis management, Reuters reported.
