U.N. Seeks More Than $5B In Aid For Syria, Its Largest Humanitarian Appeal In History

“The United Nations made the largest humanitarian appeal in its history Friday, sharply increasing its estimate for the funds needed for Syria, as rights groups said it must do more to ensure its aid cannot be used by President Bashar al-Assad as a weapon of war,” the Washington Post reports (Morris, 6/7). The U.N. “launched a $4.4 billion humanitarian appeal … to assist the growing number of people suffering the effects of the crisis in Syria, which began two years ago with peaceful demonstrations but has since turned into a bloody conflict,” according to the U.N. News Centre. “The appeal, revised from $1.5 billion in January, covers relief activities for the Syria Humanitarian Assistance Response Plan (SHARP) and the Regional Response Plan (RRP),” the news service adds (6/7). “The appeal comprises $2.9 billion for refugees, $1.4 billion for humanitarian aid and $830 million for Lebanon and Jordan, the biggest recipients of Syrian refugees,” Reuters writes (Miles, 6/7). “The civil war in Syria has led to the fastest growing refugee crisis in the world amid a conflict in which hospitals, schools and water and sanitation infrastructure have been targeted,” according to The Guardian. “But some fear that the $5 billion appeal will not be enough as aid agencies have struggled to keep pace with the three-year crisis which has left more than 80,000 people dead,” the newspaper adds (Tran, 6/7).

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