WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 15th June, 2023) The United States will allocate over $900 million in additional humanitarian aid to Syria, marking the largest US funding announced for the country to date, the State Department said on Thursday.
"Today, Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights Uzra Zeya announced $920 million in additional U.S. humanitarian assistance for Syria at the Brussels VII Conference on 'Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region,'" the statement said.
The newly announced aid is the largest US humanitarian funding to Syria to date and comes in response to record-high humanitarian needs exacerbated by the earthquakes in Syria and neighboring Turkey last February, the State Department noted.
"In her remarks at the Brussels VII Conference, Under Secretary Zeya reaffirmed the importance of unfettered humanitarian access to all parts of Syria and urged the UN Security Council to re-authorize UN cross-border aid into Syria in July," the statement added. "She underscored U.S. support for a 12-month authorization of all three border crossing points currently in use, to ensure predictable humanitarian access to millions in need in northwest Syria."
Over 12 years, the Syrian crisis has placed an estimated 15.3 million people in dire need of humanitarian assistance, including 5.5 million refugees forced to flee Syria to neighboring states and 6.8 million internally displaced people, according to the UN Refugee Agency.
