Speaking ahead of the London donor conference, Cameron said the world community must raise billions of dollars in aid to help Syrians who have been suffering in refugee camps in neighboring countries.
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The conference opened with the news that peace talks between parties to the conflict in Geneva have been suspended, after the United Nations special envoy to Syria Staffan de Misturua stated he will not talk just for the sake of talking.
Davutoglu accused Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s forces, backed by foreign fighters and Russian air strikes, of seeking to do the same to Aleppo as they did to the besieged town of Madaya, where dozens have starved to death.
Deputy Prime Minister Louis Grech today represented Malta in a high-level conference on the Syria humanitarian crisis in London, which paved the way for a wide-ranging discussion about how the global community responds to the protracted crisis.
“To stop the flow of refugees”, he said, “we have to end the war”. Of those funds, the top four recipients outside of Syria were Lebanon with $133 million, Jordan with $62 million, Turkey with $54 million, and Iraq with $24 million.
Britain, Germany and the U.S. are among countries that have pledged to donate $6.18bn (£4.23bn) to ease the plight of millions of refugees fleeing Syria.
The $10 billion figure is more than double the $4.5 pledged a year ago, reflecting the urgency the migrant crisis has caused among Western governments.
Despite the promised aid, the United Nations and Syria’s neighbours are struggling to cope with the number of refugees fleeing the war, and say they need £6.2bn for 2016 alone. Not only the Syrians in Turkey or Jordan or Lebanon, but also the Syrians within their own country that we will do everything possible to help them. “But the United States can and should do much more to address this global crisis”.
The UK has pledged £1.2 billion in new aid between now and 2020, and the US committed more than £600 million, which will bring total USA humanitarian spending on the five-year war to £3.5 billion.
Despite the pledges, the mood among many leaders was bleak, reflecting frustration at the halt Wednesday of the so-called proximity talks in Geneva which were seen as the best hope for peace since the conflict erupted in March 2011.
“Foreign Minister Lavrov and I will talk again … as we further this process and find the way forward to be able to implement this resolution fully”, Kerry said.
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“The key thing about the future of Syria is the education of the Syrian refugee children and that is how we can ensure the future is strong”, the 18-year-old said. Some Syrians in those countries can now hope that they may be able to work legally and earn a living which will support their families.
