Third Brussels Conference "Supporting the future of Syria and the region" – Day 3

The Brussels III Conference "Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region" (#SyriaConf2019), co-chaired with the United Nations, ends today with the meeting of the Foreign Ministers at the Council during which the overall pledges will be made. Participants from around 80 countries and regional organisations are discussing all key aspects of the Syria crisis: political, humanitarian and regional development. A side event organised in the margins of the Ministerial meeting by several EU and non-EU Member States will tackle the issue of justice and sustainable peace in Syria. High Representative/Vice-President Mogherini opened the ministerial meeting and co-chaired the first plenary session with UN Special Envoy Geir Pedersen. Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn andCommissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management Christos Stylianides will both co-chair the plenary session with the UN in the afternoon. High Representative/Vice-President Mogherini announced this morning that the EU from its budget is pledging over €2 billion for 2019 alone. The European Union and its Member States, together, have so far invested already almost €17 billion for Syrian refugees and their host communities since the beginning of the war. Commissioner Stylianides will close the Conference with the UN and announce the Conference's pledges at +/- 17:45 (live on EbS), reaffirming the political and financial support of the EU and international community to Syrian refugees and hosting communities. A final press release will be published here later today. The remarks of the High Representative/Vice-President and the Commissioners, as well as UN co-chairs, will be available on EbS.The following interventions from yesterday's Days of Dialogue are available online: Commissioner Hahn opening remarks; Commissioner Stylianides remarks during the panel on education; High Representative/Vice-President Mogherini remarks at her joint press conference with UNSE Pedersen; and High Representative/Vice-President Mogherini closing remarks. More information on the Conference is available on the dedicated website and more information on the "Days of Dialogue" is available here (focus on resilience and regional/development) and here (focus on humanitarian support). For further insight into the EU response to the Syrian crisis, our factsheet and infographics on the EU response to the Syrian crisis in Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey and inside Syria are also available online.