Donor

The donor countries, including the European Union, pledged today, Monday, to provide assistance to Syria worth 5.8 billion euros, noting that this is a lower amount of its previous commitment, due to the lack of contribution of the United States. The European Commissioner for the Mediterranean Sea, Dubrafka Soyka:

The European Union has pledged to provide about 2.5 billion euros (2.7 billion dollars) aid to Syria, during the donor conference held today in the Belgian capital, Brussels. The President of the European Commission, Ursula von Deirin, said that the Syrians need more support, “whether for those who are still abroad or for those who decided to return to their homes. So, today we announce the increase in our pledges in the European Union towards the Syrians at home and the region to reach about 2.5 billion euros for 2025 and 2026,” according to Agence France -Presse.

Earlier today, the United Kingdom pledged to provide about 200 million dollars to support Syria’s recovery this year, after Bashar al -Assad’s overthrow. The British Foreign Ministry stated that this amount will be provided in the form of basic assistance during the donor conference to support Syria in Brussels, with the aim of providing the basic needs of Syrians of water, food, health care and education during the year 2024. Likewise, Germany announced new aid of 300 million euros before the launch of the conference. “Germany will provide an additional 300 million euros of humanitarian organizations, as part of this peaceful process and for the Syrian people and the peoples of the region,” said German Foreign Minister Analina Perbuk in Brussels.

For his part, the Secretary -General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, called on the international community to move urgently to invest in the future of Syria and its recovery, by expanding humanitarian support, avoiding any discounts in financing during this critical stage, in addition to addressing the issue of sanctions and other restrictions. In a video recorded in the video, which was addressed to the Brussels Conference, Guterres stressed the need to support efforts to ensure an organized and comprehensive political transition, and establish institutions that represent and protect all Syrians. He stressed that the future of Syria should be determined by the Syrians themselves, stressing the United Nations’s commitment to help them to achieve a free, prosperous and peaceful future.

The Secretary -General said that Syria is going through a “watershed moment,” explaining: “Today, the Syrians stand on the threshold of a historical opportunity to achieve their aspirations towards a peaceful, prosperous and comprehensive future.” He added: “However, the way for them is full of challenges, as the Syrian economy lost about 800 billion dollars of GDP during 14 years of war, while the infrastructure of vital services was destroyed.”

Guterres stressed that millions of Syrians, inside and outside Syria, still need huge levels of support, whether to secure food, shelter and basic services or to secure livelihoods, indicating that this includes thousands of Syrians returning since December, in addition to about five million Syrian refugees in neighboring countries.

Guterres concluded by noting that more than two -thirds of the population of Syria is in urgent need of humanitarian aid, which makes it one of the largest humanitarian crises in the world, pointing out that the volume of funding for the humanitarian response is still not enough yet.