But hopes that the package could make a major difference inside Syria were weighed down by the suspension Wednesday of peace talks in Geneva until February 25.
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“She knows the severity of the situation Syrian families are facing and we urge her to lead with her heart and up the ante for other donors at the conference”, Dr Szoke said. Another 6 million people or more are displaced within Syria, and a quarter of a million have been killed.
Cameron said participants had pledged nearly $6 billion for 2016, and another $5 billion by 2020.
World leaders will gather in London today for talks on the crisis – co-hosted by Britain, Germany, Norway, Kuwait and the United Nations.
Australia has promised an extra $20 million for life-saving humanitarian assistance in Syria, and $5 million to Iraq, through groups such as the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), World Food Programme (WFP) and Australian NGOs.
It’s not just governments that are going into the red over the continuing crisis.
In London Thursday, Kerry called on the Syrian government and its supporters to halt attacks on opposition-held areas, as well as ensure the access of humanitarian aid. As we approach the fifth anniversary of the war in Syria the worldwide community can’t keep making the same mistakes.
Kerry said he spoke Thursday morning with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov by telephone about how to implement a ceasefire.
Neither statement mentioned any concrete measures.
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon says it is “deeply disturbing” that a fragile Syrian peace process is being undermined by increased bombing and the blocking of humanitarian aid to suffering civilians.
But the reality is sinking in that after five years of war in Syria there is no clear end in sight to the misery of the millions.
“The fighting has seen an escalation and regime forces bear the responsibility for that”, Steinmeier said at a news conference with his Saudi counterpart Adel al-Jubeir. Slow registration and screening systems have also caused large numbers of Syrians to become stranded at the Jordanian border in recent months in hard conditions.
What countries in the region are doing to provide for these refugees Donald Tusk, President of the European Council described as the provision of a “global public good” and called on the worldwide community to do more to invest in this public good.
Cameron said using fundraising for stability, jobs and education could create a future model for humanitarian relief.
Syria’s neighbors had warned the conference that the burden of so many newcomers was becoming intolerable.
His Majesty said he hopes tomorrow’s conference comes up with decisions enabling Jordan to grapple with the refugee crisis through supporting economic and development project that would mitigate the impact of the crisis.
The delay in peace talks underscored how the lengthy Syrian war shows no signs of easing.
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Underlining the desperate situation on the ground in Syria, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu told the meeting that tens of thousands of Syrians were on the move toward his country to escape aerial bombardments on the city of Aleppo. “We can not have a generation of refugees left out of school, unable to get work, vulnerable to extremism and radicalisation”, he said. We understand each other.
