US announces additional $920M in humanitarian assistance for Syria

By Firdevs Bulut Kartal

TORONTO (AA) - The US on Thursday announced $920 million in additional humanitarian assistance for Syria, according to a statement by the State Department.

The announcement was made during the Brussels VII Conference on “Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region” by Under Secretary for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights Uzra Zeya.

The additional aid brings the total US humanitarian assistance to Syria and the region to $1.1 billion in FY 2023 and almost $16.9 billion since the start of the 12-year crisis.

This is the largest announcement of humanitarian aid to Syria, and it comes against a backdrop of record-high humanitarian needs necessitated by the devastating earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria in early February 2023, the statement said.

The US remains committed to the Syrian people and urges other donors to increase their contributions as the Syrian crisis continues.

Zeya reaffirmed the importance of continuing humanitarian access to all parts of Syria and urged the UN Security Council to re-authorize UN cross-border aid into Syria in July, during her speech at the conference.

She stressed the US support for a 12-month authorization of all three border crossing points currently in use, to make sure predictable humanitarian access to millions in need in northwest Syria.