A 'drop in the ocean': Brussels summit raises €6.1 billion for Syria

International donors from 57 states have pledged 5.6 billion euros ($6.1 billion) to help Syrian refugees facing rampant food insecurity, economic crises, and the continued effects of live conflict at the seventh Brussels summit on Thursday. 

The annual summit comes just days after the World Food Programme said it had been forced to scale down assistance by 55 percent due to lack of funding - even as needs in Syria and across refugee populations continue to grow. 

"Humanitarian funding for Syria is not keeping pace with rapidly increasing needs," said Janez Lenarcic, the conference host and the EU's top official for humanitarian aid and crisis management.

Record-breaking levels of food insecurity and poverty, exacerbated by a severe economic crisis and the aftermath of February’s devastating earthquake, are affecting approximately 15.3 million Syrians according to the UN.

"My appeal is simple: Help us help the Syrian people. We are asking for $11.1 billion, our largest appeal worldwide," UN Secretary-General Antonio Guteres said in Brussels. "We have no time to spare."

In addition to grant funding, donors committed another four billion euros in loans. The combined grants and loans amount is 9.6 billion euros - but around 2 billion euros short of Guterres’ plea. 

Who are the top donors?

Overall, the European Commission stumped up 5.6 billion euros - 55 percent of which came from central EU funding.

The rest of the donations came from the 57 individual states present, including Germany - a longstanding major donor to Syrian relief efforts - and the US.

The UK pledged £150 million in humanitarian funds, a decrease on last year’s contributions. 

The previous two conferences raised total pledges of $6.7 billion last year and $6.4 billion the year before. 

#SyriaConf2023: UK pledges £150M to Syria + previous £43M for earthquake response.

£150M = an £8M reduction (-5.06%) from 2022.

Total £193M = a potential 22.15% increase from 2022, but £43M also supports Turkiye.

Pledge falls short of £400M in 2019, leaving needs unmet. pic.twitter.com/LTet6evydL

— Nicola Banks (@NicolaHBanks) June 15, 2023

Where will the money go?

Funding will be targeted at both Syrians inside the country and refugees in the diaspora - especially neighbouring countries. 

Turkey, Iraq, Jordan and Lebanon together host 5.4 million Syrian refugees, and all face tumultuous economic outlooks in the next 12 months. 

Humanitarian access to regime-controlled areas remains limited, however - an urgent problem which has been repeated throughout the Brussels summit this year. 

Many have pointed to donor fatigue as the Syria war enters its 12th year while the crisis in Ukraine has also attracted more attention from European states.

Today, in Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Türkiye, 13.5 million refugees & in host communities (6.1 million) need urgent humanitarian & long-term resilience support. Response Plans need consistent international financial support at the #SyriaConf2023 https://t.co/HBC3VudiP9 pic.twitter.com/gJ53eQG6MB

— Abdallah Aldardari (@AbdallahAldard1) June 15, 2023

NGO reactions 

NGOs have welcomed news from the Brussels summit, but warned that the efforts may still fall short in the face of desperate needs. 

Syrians are making "agonising choices to survive," said Oxfam Country Director in Syria, Moutaz Adham. This "aid pledged is a drop in the ocean".

David Miliband, president and CEO of the International Rescue Committee, said in a statement: "While overall pledges to Syria were down this year, it is important to note the commitments by the German and US governments in particular.

"This is the US’ largest humanitarian funding announcement to the Syria response to date. Today's diplomatic momentum needs to carry through to the entire UN Security Council as they vote on cross border aid next month, ensuring the reauthorization of life-saving cross-border aid routes for 12 months at minimum."

Syrian activist Yousef Bakdash noted that, while some contributions had dropped since last year, he was pleased that Europe had "reasserted its commitment not to lift sanctions or normalise relations with the Assad gang". 

"What also caught my eye is the deliberate efforts to coordinate effort between different areas of control inside Syria," continued Bakdash. 

Over the next two days, the European Union will be hosting the 7th Brussels Conference on “Supporting the People of Syria and the Region”. We call on donors to reaffirm their support to the people of #Syria and center the voices of Syrians, in all their diversity, in all… pic.twitter.com/4PQwxrpoCV

— The White Helmets (@SyriaCivilDef) June 14, 2023

Intransigence on Assad

All parties at the Brussels summit stressed that aid efforts in Syria and across the diaspora did not signal an overture to improved relationships with the Assad regime. 

"The European Union policy on Syria has not changed,” said Josep Borrell. "We will not re-establish full diplomatic relations with the Assad regime or start working on reconstruction until a genuine and comprehensive political transition is firmly on the way, which is not the case."

He added that "we have to remain committed to the justice and accountability for the crimes committed during more than a decade of conflict".

The US were similarly steadfast over the issue of rapprochement with the Assad regime, despite moves towards full normalisation by Arab states. 

A political transition in Damascus, as set out in a UN Security Council resolution, "remains the only way to end the suffering of the Syrian people", according to US State Department representative Uzra Zeya.