More than $1.5 billion pledged for Syria humanitarian response – UN
January 31, 2013: Countries and regional organizations on Wednesday pledged more
than $1.5 billion to provide humanitarian assistance to civilians affected by the
conflict in Syria, exceeding the initial target set by the United Nations and its
partners.
“Today, we have seen global solidarity in action,” Secretary-General
Ban Ki-moon told the pledging conference for Syria, which was held in Kuwait City.
“We have brought a message of hope to the millions of Syrians who have been affected
by this terrible crisis.”
The conference sought to raise $1.5 billion to assist
civilians affected by the ongoing conflict over the next six months, including those
taking refuge beyond Syrian borders. The amount pledged today exceeded the target,
and exact figures are still being calculated. The situation in Syria is catastrophic
and getting worse by the day ... And every day Syrians face a cascading catalogue
of horrors: unrelenting violence, dwindling supplies of food and medicine, and human
rights violations including sexual violence and arbitrary arrests and detention. Mr.
Ban, who chaired the conference, said the UN would ensure that the funds are used
effectively to meet the urgent life-saving needs of the Syrian people.
Earlier,
the Secretary-General had appealed to the international community to provide the urgently-needed
funds, while also stressing the necessity of a political solution to the crisis, which
cannot be solved by humanitarian aid alone.
“The situation in Syria is catastrophic
and getting worse by the day,” Mr. Ban said. “And every day Syrians face a cascading
catalogue of horrors: unrelenting violence, dwindling supplies of food and medicine,
and human rights violations including sexual violence and arbitrary arrests and detention.”
More
than 60,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed since the uprising against
President Bashar al-Assad began in early 2011. Recent months have witnessed an escalation
in the conflict, which has also left more than 4 million people in need of humanitarian
assistance, including 2 million who have fled their homes and are now living without
basic services.
Mr. Ban stressed that the UN and humanitarian partners are
doing all they can to reach as many people as possible in all areas of the country.
However, resources are limited and more will be needed to continue assistance over
the next six months. “We urgently need your help,” Mr. Ban said. “I am deeply mindful
of budget pressures that every Government faces today, but we cannot allow funding
constraints to prevent us from bringing life-saving aid to people in desperate need.
Without resources, we cannot deliver. Without resources, more people will die.”
At
the same time, Mr. Ban said that humanitarian aid alone cannot solve the crisis, and
called on all Syrian parties, especially the Government, to stop the violence immediately.
“The bloodshed and misery will end only when there is a political solution,” he said.
“I appeal to all sides, and particularly the Syrian Government, to stop the killing.
In the name of humanity: stop the violence.”
Also addressing the conference,
UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Valerie Amos said that $519 million of the $1.5 billion
appeal will be used for humanitarian work in ten sectors inside Syria to meet essential
needs, adding that the plan is based on four priorities which consist of: providing
relief supplies such as food, healthcare and water to the most vulnerable; helping
people who have fled their homes and the communities hosting them; supporting reconstruction
of critical infrastructure; and helping the poorest people avoid total destitution.