UNSC welcomes Kuwait III conf.

NEW YORK, March 27 (KUNA) -- The members of the UN Security Council welcomed the upcoming Third International Humanitarian Pledging Conference for Syria to be hosted by Kuwait on March 31.
In a press statement released here late Thursday night, the UNSC encouraged the international community to respond with generous pledges of new humanitarian and development funding to the UN appeals for 2015.
As the conflict in Syria enters its fifth year, the members of the Security Council expressed deep concern that the people of Syria continue to suffer from deteriorating conditions, with devastating consequences.
They regretted that half of Syria's pre-war population - some 12.2 million people - and the more than 3.9 million Syrian refugees in neighbouring countries are in desperate need of humanitarian assistance.
They highlighted that the lack of funding for the United Nations and its implementing partners has already forced humanitarian agencies to reduce food rations for Syrians by 30 percent and that for every USD one million the UN cannot raise for its Syria programmes some 227,000 people lose vital health services.
They also stressed that unless urgent funding is received before May 2015, one million Syrian children who are not attending school will not be able to access alternative education options.
Furthermore, the UNSC noted that the Syria Response Plan's appeal for USD 2.9 billion is only 9 percent funded, and the Syria Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan's appeal for USD 4.5 billion is only 6 percent funded.
Earlier Thursday evening, the Security Council was briefed by the Undersecretary General for Humanitarian Affairs Valerie Amos who stressed that at a time when needs are growing, and the humanitarian community should be scaling up its response, the Government of Syria continues to put in place measures that are not practical and slow down our response.
War in Syria characterized by breathtaking levels of savagery and it is just over one year since this Council adopted resolution 2139, she said.
The resolution demanded action by the parties to the conflict, to cease attacks against civilians and facilitate humanitarian access to those in need, she added.
Leaving the meeting, Amos thanked His Highness the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah as well as the government and people of Kuwait for hosting the donors conference Kuwait III. (end) mao.gb