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During the 7th Brussels Conference on ‘Supporting the future of Syria and the Region’ on 15 June, the international community pledged €5.6 billion for 2023 and beyond, including €4.6 billion for 2023 and €1 billion for 2024 and beyond. The funding pledged today will support people inside Syria and the neighbouring countries hosting Syrian refugees. €3.8 billion of grants were pledged by the EU, with €2.1 billion from the European Commission and €1.7 billion pledged by the EU Member States. Since the beginning of the crisis in 2011, the EU and its Member States have mobilised over €30 billion to support Syrians in Syria and in the region. In addition, international financial institutions and donors have announced €4 billion in loans, bringing a total of grants and loans to €9.6 billion.
The European Union also published a report on delivery against the pledges made at the 6th Brussels Conference on ‘Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region’ held on 10 May 2022, as well as a report on the online survey on consultations with civil society carried out in the run-up to the Conference.
Background
Since 2017, Brussels Conferences address critical humanitarian and resilience issues affecting Syrians in Syria and neighbouring countries, as well as those which impact communities hosting Syrian refugees in the region. The Conferences aim to renew the international community’s political and financial support for Syria’s neighbours, particularly Jordan, Lebanon and Türkiye, as well as Egypt and Iraq. A special Donors’ Conference was held earlier this year to support the people in Türkiye and Syria in the wake of February’s devastating earthquakes. Today’s Conference remains the main pledging event this year for Syria and its neighbouring countries.
Yesterday, on 14 June, the Day of Dialogue provided an interactive platform for dialogue between civil society actors from inside Syria, the region as well as the diaspora, refugee-hosting countries, operational partners engaged in the Syria response, the European Union and the participation of other key partners, including the United Nations and the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.
More than 40 side events were also organised in the margins of the Brussels VII Conference, initiated and organised by civil society organisations, participating countries, the United Nations and international organisations.
Furthermore, today, Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi and Commissioner Janez Lenarčič also announced an additional €10.5 million for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Syria, as part of the EU’s overall pledge. This funding comes on top of our ongoing funding for ICRC. ICRC aims to prevent the collapse of critical water infrastructure and provide safe water to the Syrian population in a more sustainable way. After 12 years of conflict, mass displacement and climate emergencies, nearly half of the Syrian population relies on unsafe water. Building resilience and sustainable humanitarian impact through access to safe water is critical to improving the lives of Syrians.
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