Doha meet pledges over $260mn in Syrian aid

More than $260mn has been pledged in humanitarian aid for Syria following a meeting in Doha yesterday involving the UN and 25 non-governmental organisations from across the region.Qatari state media said the total number of pledges stood at $262mn and were made by participants at the meeting which comes ahead of a European Union two-day conference on war-torn Syria later this week in Belgium.Dr Ahmed bin Mohamed al-Muraikhi, the UN Secretary General’s Humanitarian Envoy, told the Doha meeting that Syria faces a huge humanitarian crisis which requires up to $8bn in aid for the current year.He added that more than 13mn Syrians need humanitarian assistance, according to the Qatar News Agency.Among the organisations at the conference was the Qatar Red Crescent, several from the Gulf Co-operation Council and charities from Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey.The final communique issued at the end of the meeting condemned the extensive destruction of assets and property on which the population relies for survival as an example of flagrant violation of humanitarian norms and international humanitarian law.It expressed concern over the difficult choices that victims of the crisis have to endure, including fleeing to neighbouring countries or seeking asylum in other countries, which have contributed to fundamental changes in the population structure compared with the situation before the crisis.The communique warned of grave humanitarian consequences of these demographic changes not only in the near and intermediate terms but also in the long term.It praised the humanitarian efforts carried out by humanitarian organisations from the Arab region, especially from the Gulf region and the Syrian neighbouring countries.It highly appreciated the role being played by Dr al-Muraikhi, the UN agencies and partners in the Syrian arena.Participants recommended a comprehensive review of the humanitarian response efforts in Syria in order to draw the most important lessons from the Syrian refugee crisis seen as the worst humanitarian crisis since World War II.They urged an immediate response to the medium and long-term future needs based on principles of aid effectiveness and effective use of resources.They also called to adopt a shared vision which gives priority to enhancing capabilities of the Syrian people to face this humanitarian crisis and support humanitarian initiatives aimed at promoting self-sufficiency of the Syrian society.They expressed concern over the systematic demographic change in some areas “predicting a long-term humanitarian disaster” and calling for a halt to systematic displacement of Syrian people and support of refugees and displaced persons to return when displacement ends.The communique also called upon all parties, especially the government, to exert more efforts to prevent the politicisation of humanitarian action in Syria, facilitate access to beneficiaries in safe conditions and remove all obstacles to financial transfers.This week’s Brussels conference is expected to bring together representatives from more than 70 countries and international organisations.Upwards of 320,000 people have been killed and more than half of the country’s population displaced since Syria’s conflict erupted in 2011 with protests against President Bashar al-Assad’s rule.UN plea for helpA senior United Nations refugee official yesterday called on Gulf Arab states to give more to help Syrians displaced by six years of civil war, saying she saw little sign that the crisis would end any time soon. Speaking during a visit to Kuwait to sign a $10mn aid agreement for Syrian refugees in Iraq, Kelly T. Clements, deputy commissioner for the United Nations High Commision for Refugees (UNHCR), also said the UN body lamented the “sad” fact that the number of refugees fleeing Syria’s civil war had passed the 5mn mark.