International donors on Tuesday pledged $6.7 billion to help Syrians and neighboring countries hosting refugees but fell well short of a U.N. target for assistance to millions of people from conflict-torn Syria who rely on aid to survive.
European Union Neighborhood Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi acknowledged that the war in Ukraine and the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic weighed heavily on donors' economies.
Still, “donors are sending now a very strong signal to Syria and this region that we are ready to do even more than before," he said.
Varhelyi said 75% of all pledges came from EU member states.
The United Nations had been seeking $10.5 billion for 2022. It says that 14.6 million people in Syria rely on aid – 1.2 million more than in 2021 – and that over 90% of Syrians live in poverty.
About 3.9 million people in Syria go hungry every day.
It’s the second year in a row that pledges have not lived up to expectations. Last year, the EU, the United States and other nations pledged $6.4 billion, with the U.N asking for $10 billion to meet vital needs.
Food prices around the world were already rising, but the war in Ukraine - a major wheat supplier - has made things worse. The impact is worsening the plight of millions of Syrians driven from their homes by the country’s 11-year war. Many rely on international aid to survive.
Half of Syria's pre-war population of 23 million people was displaced by the conflict.
Aid agencies had hoped to draw some of the world’s attention back to Syria at Tuesday's conference, which was hosted by the EU. The funding also goes toward aid for the 5.7 million Syrian refugees living in neighboring countries, particularly Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan.
Syria’s foreign ministry criticized the Brussels event, saying neither the Syrian government nor its ally Russia are taking part in it. It said the conference is being organized by countries that are imposing sanctions on the “Syrian people” and blocking reconstruction.
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