$4.4B pledged at Brussels conference on Syria

By Sibel Ugurlu

BRUSSELS (AA) - The Second Brussels Conference on the future of Syria and the region ended with a pledge of $4.4 billion for Syrian refugees, the European commissioner for humanitarian aid and crisis management said on Wednesday.

"I am proud to announce that the delegations here today have made a collective pledge of $4.4 billion for this year alone," Christos Stylianides said.

He said the donors also pledged $3.4 billion for next year and beyond.

"We must not let down the people of Syria," Stylianides said, adding that the meeting’s number one priority was a political solution in support of the UN-led talks in Geneva and the transition to a peaceful, democratic, and stable Syria.

Stylianides said they also sought concrete solutions to address the most acute humanitarian challenges, focusing on protection, education, and the effective delivery of assistance.

Stylianides said ways to maintain international support for the countries giving assistance to Syrian refugees -- Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan -- were also discussed.

"The European Union, as a whole, has pledged almost $6 billion until 2019," Stylianides said, adding that the previously promised $3 billion for Syrian refugees in Turkey would be mobilized by the EU during the coming two years.

Turkey has complained of late, incomplete delivery of the funds pledged by the EU.

Stylianides thanked the civil society representatives from Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey, calling them "everyday heroes, working in the field to help those who are truly helpless."

Looking back to last year’s conference, Stylianides said that by the end of 2017, a total of $7.5 billion was contributed in the form of grants.