WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 16th 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."
During the conference, the international community pledged to allocate a total of 9.6 billion Euros ($10.51 billion) in grants and loans for the people inside Syria and the neighboring countries hosting Syrian refugees in 2023 and 2024, the European Commission said in a statement.
"The international community pledged ��5.6 billion for 2023 and beyond, including ��4.6 billion for 2023 and ��1 billion for 2024 and beyond ... ��3.8 billion of grants were pledged by the EU, with ��2.1 billion from the European Commission and ��1.7 billion pledged by the EU Member States ... In addition, international financial institutions and donors have announced ��4 billion in loans, bringing a total of grants and loans to ��9.6 billion," the statement read.
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.
