UN-EU Conference Raises $4.4 Billion for War-Ravaged Syria
International donors at a United Nations-European Union humanitarian conference pledged nearly $4.4 billion on Wednesday to fund critical aid programmes in war-torn Syria throughout 2018.
Gathered in the Belgian capital, Brussels, alongside top officials from over 85 countries and organizations, UN and EU leaders also stressed that the stalled UN-led Syrian political negotiations, known as the intra-Syrian talks, must be revived.
In a video message to the conference, which aimed to boost support for the future of Syria as well as the wider region, which is hosting millions of refugees, Secretary-General António Guterres said that negotiations are the only way forward.
“We see confrontations and proxy wars involving several national armies, a number of armed opposition groups, many national and international militia, terrorist groups, foreign fighters from everywhere in the world – all these creating a bleak panorama of Syria today where there is no military solution to the crisis,” he said. “The solution must be political.”
The UN chief also stressed the importance of Security Council resolution 2254 (2015), which endorsed a road map for a peace process in Syria, and the 2012 Geneva Communiqué, which set out the principles for a political transition in the country.
Mr. Guterres said he will continue to engage with Member States to move towards a genuine and credible political solution that meets the aspirations of the Syrian people to dignity and freedom.
Courtesy: UN
