EU urged to do better ahead of Helsinki conference on #Peace4Syria

World Vision is among 28 aid agencies urging donor countries to redouble their efforts to support refugees fleeing Syria, one year after pledges were made at a major summit in London. 

The call comes as a conference gets under way on Tuesday 24 January in Helsinki, to discuss long-term solutions to the Syria crisis. The event, entitled ‘Supporting Syrians and the Region’, aims to present the objectives, contents and achievements of the Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan (3RP) and the Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP).

Wynn Flaten, Director of World Vision’s Syria Response, said: “There was a strong show of immediate financial support for Syrian refugees after the London conference, which is welcome. 

“But the fact remains this is a long-term crisis, soon to enter its seventh year. That means we need long-term commitments, rather than stop-start funding which plunges children who have fled this intractable war into further uncertainty.”  

Ahead of the Conference, World Vision, along with other aid agencies, urges on the EU and the donor community to fully implement the ‘new approach’ of the London Conference which requires sustained political will, as well as sufficient funding and technical capacity.  

“Children have been born into this crisis; it is all they have ever known, and they will need support for years to restore a sense of hope, and to provide the best possible start in life,” says Justin Byworth, World Vision Brussels’ Executive Director. 

“On resettling refugees, it’s clear that many donor countries, including EU Member States, have fallen short. Syria’s neighbours are under immense strain, shouldering an unbearable burden with nearly five million Syrian refugees. Yet fewer than 3% have been taken in by donor countries” adds Byworth.

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