Syria crisis: the EU responds to spiralling needs with more emergency humanitarian aid
The European Commission is announcing an additional €65 million in response to the rapidly growing scale of the humanitarian crisis resulting from the conflict in Syria. With more intense fighting in Syria and just three months after pledging € 100 million at the Kuwait donors' conference, the Commission is stepping up its effort to fund aid agencies because of the scale of the emergency.
"The pain and suffering of the Syrian people is almost beyond imagination," said Kristalina Georgieva, the Humanitarian Aid Commissioner. "The situation gets worse by the day. So many have now lost their homes, their families and endured immense physical and emotional hardship. And there seems to be no end in sight.
"Violence, insecurity and the fight for survival now overwhelm the daily lives of millions of people. Europe has and will continue to help those affected, and this new funding will provide at least some respite to the victims of this terrible conflict. But unless all those involved in the fighting as well as the international community find a political solution to the violence very soon the humanitarian community will simply be unable to cope with the unprecedented scale of the needs – we are already at breaking point."
The additional funding will be spent inside Syria, to assist the more than four million people who have been forced to flee their homes, and in neighbouring countries that have generously welcomed some 1.4 million refugees. Emergency healthcare services will be provided as well as shelter, food, water, sanitation and basic household items.
These services will be provided by the Commission's humanitarian partners including UN Agencies, the Red Cross/Red Crescent family and International Non-Government Organisations.
While the Commission is determined to do its utmost to continue to meet the spiralling needs of the crisis it calls on all countries which have made pledges of financial aid to urgently honour them. It also demands that all parties to the conflict cease attacks on humanitarians trying to serve the Syrian civilian population and to comply fully with international humanitarian law. Attacks against civilians, including humanitarian workers, are totally unacceptable and must stop.
Source: European Commission
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