Kuwait City--The European Union and other donors pledged more than $2 billion on Tuesday to help alleviate war-torn Syria's humanitarian crisis, which Kuwait's emir called the worst in "modern history".
Stressing the gravity of the situation, UN chief Ban Ki-moon told participants at the meeting in Kuwait to help raise $8.4 billion in aid this year for Syria, where four out of five people were living in "poverty, misery and deprivation".
The EU pledged nearly 1.1 billion euros ($1.2 billion), double the amount the bloc promised last year, while Kuwait opened the conference with a promise of $500 million.
The United States pledged $507 million and non-governmental organisations committed more than $500 million.
Other major contributions came from Britain with $150 million, United Arab Emirates with $100 million and Norway which promised $93 million.
Jordan and Lebanon, which together host close to 2.5 million refugees, were represented by their premiers who appealed for international aid to help their economies cope with the tragedy.
Qatar's Foreign Minister Khalid Al-Attiyah proposed to set up a special fund for the education of Syrian children.
More pledges are expected at the one-day conference attended by 78 countries at ministerial levels.
In Brussels, EU aid commissioner Christos Stylianides said in a statement that "the needs are overwhelming, and an extraordinary effort is needed by the wider donor community to mobilise significant funding".
The money pledged by the bloc consists of 500 million euros in "humanitarian aid, early recovery and longer-term stabilisation assistance" from the European Commission, with the balance coming in pledges from the bloc's 28 countries, the EU said.
Ban warned that "the Syrian people are victims of the worst humanitarian crisis of our time."
AFP
