Today, a UN-sponsored International Humanitarian Pledging Conference for Syria opens in Kuwait, aiming to raise $ 1.5 billion for around five million Syrians facing hardships from their country’s 22-month conflict. About 77 local, regional and international charity organisations will take part in the conference, which will also be attended by Syrian ally Iran. Yesterday, US President Barack Obama announced an extra $ 155 million to aid refugees fleeing what he said was “barbarism” propagated by the government of President Bashar Al-Assad. That will take to $ 365 million US humanitarian help for Syrians.
The meeting, to be attended by UN chief Ban Ki-Moon, will be opened by HH the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, who local reports say will would announce a pledge of $ 500 million. Iran will be among 59 nations attending, Kuwait’s foreign minister said. “The UN secretary general has sent out invitations to all countries and 59 nations are coming… Iran will be represented by the deputy foreign minister,” Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Sabah told a press conference.
He said neither the Syrian regime nor the opposition Syrian National Coalition have been invited. King Abdullah II of Jordan and Lebanese President Michel Sleiman, both of whose countries are housing refugees, will attend, the minister said. In addition, 13 UN agencies involved in the humanitarian and relief field and 17 non-governmental organisations will take part. Sheikh Sabah said funds pledged at the conference will be used to help internally displaced Syrians and those who sought refuge in neighbouring countries before the middle of June 2012. Asked whether some of the money might reach the Syrian regime, he said each donor country will determine how the money it donates should be distributed and through whom. The funds are needed to finance a major UN humanitarian mission inside Syria and to provide aid for hundreds of thousands of Syrians who have sought refuge in neighbouring countries.
The UN refugee agency said yesterday that there has been a steep rise in the number of Syrian refugees during the past few weeks and that their number has surpassed 700,000. UN humanitarian operations director John Ging warned that the United Nations will be forced to cut already reduced food rations to hundreds of thousands of Syrians unless a huge cash injection is found. The United Nations says more than 60,000 people have been killed in Syria’s uprising.
