Western powers and regional neighbours attend a conference in Brussels aimed at helping the country rebuild after civil war
\n Brussels
\nThe European Union has hosted a donor drive for Syria to encourage a peaceful transition following the ousting of former leader Bashar al-Assad.
\nWestern and regional powers participated in Monday\u2019s one-day meeting in Brussels, chaired by EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas.
\nFourteen years of civil war killed hundreds of thousands of Syrians, displaced millions more, and decimated the economy.
\nAmong all donors, the EU reported that 5.8 billion euros ($6.3bn) was pledged in aid for Syria. \u201cTogether we have pledged a total of 5.8 billion euros in grants and loans,\u201d said EU Commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Suica, adding that grants accounted for 4.2 billion euros ($4.6bn) and loans 1.6 billion ($1.75bn).
\nDuring the meeting, the EU itself vowed to provide about 2.5 billion euros ($2.7bn) in aid to Syria.
\n\u201cSyrians need greater support, whether they are still abroad, or they decide to go home. And this is why today, the European Union is increasing its pledge for Syrians in the country and in the region to almost 2.5 billion euros for 2025 and 2026,\u201d said European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen.
\nGerman Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock announced that Berlin would provide an additional 300 million euros ($328m) for the United Nations and other organisations assisting Syrians.
\n\u201cThere can only be a peaceful future for Syria if there is an inclusive political process,\u201d Baerbock said.
\nThe United Kingdom pledged up to 160 million British pounds ($208m) in humanitarian aid to support Syria\u2019s recovery.
\nThe foreign office said the funds would \u201chelp provide Syrians with critical water, food, healthcare, and education in 2025\u2033.
\nLast year\u2019s donor drive raised 7.5 billion euros ($8.2bn) in grants and loans to help the people of Syria, but efforts to top that number fell short after the United States rolled back its foreign aid budget.
\nMeanwhile, for the first time, Syria, represented by interim Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani, attended the meeting, the ninth of its kind.
\nSyria\u2019s new leadership is attempting to consolidate control over territory that had been devastated and divided for more than a decade.
\nLast week, gunmen from the Alawite minority sect, loyal to al-Assad, launched an ambush on a Syrian security patrol that sparked the worst bloodshed since the former leader was overthrown in early December.
\nAccording to a war monitor, nearly 1,500 civilians, most of them members of the Alawite minority, were killed during the clashes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Western powers and regional neighbours attend a conference in Brussels aimed at helping the country rebuild after civil war Brussels The European Union has hosted a donor drive for Syria to encourage a peaceful transition following the ousting of former leader Bashar al-Assad. Western and regional powers participated in Monday\u2019s one-day meeting in Brussels, chaired […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":467863,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-467831","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n