Syria and the region: International community mobilises €5.6 billion during the 7th Brussels Conference

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. The Days of Dialogue recording can be accessed here.

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.

For More Information

Conference website

Recordings of Day of Dialogue 

The EU and the Syria Crisis

EU's support in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria  and Türkiye 

Link to financial tracking report

Link to report on civil society consultations

Quote(s)

With this Conference, we show year after year that we are not forgetting the Syrian people. As the biggest donor for the Syrian people, the EU needs to – and we want to - make sure that their situation remains high on the international agenda. The Conference is not only the biggest annual pledging event for Syria, it is also a platform to reiterate the commitment of the international community to an overall and comprehensive political solution to the conflict that is in its 13th year.

High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell - 15/06/2023

The 7th Brussels Conference is the key moment for the international community to jointly tackle the most urgent issues Syrian people are facing after too many years of suffering. The need for improved and sustained humanitarian access to Syria. The necessity of funding people-centred early recovery. The importance of supporting Syrian refugees and their hosts. And, most importantly, the growing gap between funding and rising humanitarian need for Syrians both in the country and the wider region. That is why today's pledges are so crucial. The most vulnerable Syrians hope for a better future depends on it. The EU and its Member States will continue to do its part

Janez Lenarčič, Commissioner for Crisis Management - 15/06/2023

Once again this year, as in the past seven years, the 7th Brussels Conference reaffirmed the international community’s political and financial support to address the growing needs of all those affected by the Syrian crisis, both in Syria and in the region where millions of refugees are hosted. Today, the European Commission is pledging €2.12 billion for 2023 and 2024 for the Syrian refugees and host communities across the region to provide basic services, quality education, livelihoods, healthcare, water and sanitation.

Olivér Várhelyi, Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement - 15/06/2023