The Socialists and Democrats Group in the European Parliament take the opportunity of the third Pledging Conference on Syria (taking place in Kuwait today) to reiterate their support for the efforts of the European Commission's Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department (ECHO) on the ground and the EU's commitments towards Syrian people. This conference aims to raise the funds required to meet the needs set out in the 2015 Syria Response Plan and the Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan (3RP) 2015-2016.
The S&D Group underlines that putting an end to violence in Syria and ensuring that humanitarian aid reaches those most in need of basic goods and services in the country must be an immediate priority for all international players.
S&D MEP and humanitarian rapporteur Enrique Salom Guerrero said:
"The Syrian conflict has now entered its fifth year with no political solution in sight and 12.2 million people remain in dire need of humanitarian assistance. 10 million people do not have enough food to eat, and more than 11 million people are urgently in need of clean water. Nearly half of all Syrians have been forced from their homes – 3.8 million people have fled to Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt, and 7.6 million people have been internally displaced, making this the largest displacement crisis in the world.
“We call for the governments meeting in Kuwait to put urgent emphasis on ensuring a comprehensive response, as every day that passes means more lives lost, displacement and devastation.
“The S&D Group strongly supports ECHO's efforts in the region, but also calls on EU member state to honour the commitments made and to go further, by ensuring that there is sufficient funding for 2015, failing to do so has the risk of resulting in a dangerous humanitarian catastrophe.
S&D MEP and chair of the European Parliament's development committee Linda McAvan said:
“We call for donors in Kuwait to listen and to act. To listen to the majority of Syrians who wish to see an end to the violence, find a sustainable peace and rebuild their country – and to act with an adequate response to this humanitarian catastrophe"
“Two million children are living in areas which have not yet been reached by humanitarian aid and about 2.6 million are out of school. We call for a ceasefire and to reconvene peace talks in line with the 2012 Geneva Communiqué.
