As countries and international organisations meet for the Sixth Brussels Conference on the future of Syria, the International Rescue Committee (IRC) urged participants to ‘ramp up’ funding to support the war-torn country.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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The International Rescue Committee (IRC) has called on international donors to \u201cramp up\u201d efforts to alleviate suffering in Syria, warning that Ukraine should not divert attention away from the war-torn nation.<\/p>\n

The IRC said that humanitarian needs \u201chave reached an all-time high\u201d in the country plagued by war for over 11 years. It highlighted that 14.6 million people, 70 percent of Syria’s population, need help with basic goods to survive and 12 million are food insecure.<\/p>\n

The Sixth Brussels Conference on \u201cSupporting the future of Syria and the region\u201d takes place this week on Monday and Tuesday.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs the international community mobilises to tackle the crisis in Ukraine, we cannot forget the staggering level of humanitarian needs in Syria,\u201d said IRC Senior Director of Policy and Advocacy in Europe, Imogen Sudbery.<\/p>\n

The conference, hosted by the EU and featuring 70 countries and international institutions, is the \u201cmain pledging event\u201d for Syria and surrounding countries for the year.<\/p>\n

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At the Fifth Brussels Conference, the international community raised a total of $6.4 billion. However, the IRC said just 46 percent of the required funds were committed – the lowest seen in six years.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven if donors pledge the same as previous years, they will not fill this gap,\u201d added Sudbery.<\/p>\n

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Pleased to announce \ud83c\uddec\ud83c\udde7 pledge of up to \u00a3158m in aid for #Syria<\/a> and the region ahead of today's #SyriaConf2022<\/a>.https:\/\/t.co\/sXMILfpuim<\/a><\/p>\n

— Amanda Milling (@amandamilling) May 10, 2022<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n