Leaders seek funds for Syria, elusive stability for region

“The Supporting Syria and the Region conference has been a great success”.

This year’s conference is co-hosted by Britain, Kuwait, Germany, Norway and the United Nations.

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.

If Turkey is planning an incursion it would mark a serious escalation in the Syrian war that began in 2011, which displaced millions and left more than 250,000 people dead. Eighteen million people need help, including 13.5 million inside thr country.

The pledges of aid at a donors conference in London slightly exceeded the meeting’s goal, avoiding the failure of a similar conference this past year, when cutbacks in aid helped spur mass migration of refugees to Europe.

Some seventy leaders are expected to attend the conference, the fourth of its kind, including UK Prime Minister David Cameron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

“We have secured approaching six billion dollars for 2016 alone, and a further five billion dollars over the longer term to 2020”.

“Taken together, what we are delivering today can play a crucial role in preventing refugees from feeling they need to risk their lives on the treacherous journey to Europe”, he said.

“As a result there will be over one million new jobs in the region for refugees and residents alike”, Mr Cameron said.

These refugees should not be sent back to their war-torn country, refugee registration requirements should be made less restrictive and access to education should be made easier for Syrian children, HRW said in a report. The government says there is another 650,000 unregistered refugees. The latest round of fundraising exceeds the $9 billion aid requirement for 2016 presented before the conference. The aid increase includes an additional $290 million to improve educational resources for people in Lebanon and Jordan.

“Today’s pledge of more than £2.3 billion in United Kingdom aid sets the standard for the worldwide community – more money is needed to tackle this crisis and it is needed now”.

“I have concluded frankly that after the first week of preparatory talks there is more work to be done, not only by us but by the stakeholders”, he said after three days of talks.

A United Nations envoy halted his attempts to conduct Syrian peace talks on Wednesday after the Syrian army, backed by Russian air strikes, advanced against rebel forces north of Aleppo, choking opposition supply lines from Turkey to the city.

Among those drumming up donations was Pakistani Nobel Peace Prize victor Malala Yousafzai, who is campaigning for $1.4 billion of donations to help educate children inside Syria and in refugee camps.