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Kuwait III to make "substantial contribution" amid growing needs - Valerie Amos

UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief coordinator Valerie Amos
UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief coordinator Valerie Amos
By Mohammad Al-Otaibi NEW YORK, March 27 (KUNA) -- The Third International Humanitarian Pledging Conference for Syria, Kuwait III, will make a "substantial contribution" to needs that are rising every year, the outgoing UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief coordinator Valerie Amos has said.
In an exclusive interview with KUNA, Amos expressed appreciation and gratefulness to His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah and to the Government of Kuwait for hosting the first and second pledging conferences, when Kuwait donated USD 800 million in total.
"We are extremely pleased that last year, over 90 percent (USD 3.4 billion) out of what was pledged has been committed," Amos said of the total USD 3.9 billion promised by nations and organizations alike over the two former editions.
Kuwait III is "crucial and vital," she stressed, as the situation in Syria is getting worse year after another.
"When we were trying to get the world's attention on the humanitarian situation inside Syria, there were about one million people in need," she said. "That number has gone up to nearly 12 million people in four years. It is staggering." Nearly seven million out of those 12 million people are internally displaced, according to the UN official.
Talking to Syrian refugees in Lebanon and Jordan during her recent visit to the Middle East, Amos said that many of them have moved many times inside Syria, and due to "violence and brutality" they were forced to flee for safety reasons to neighboring countries.
"We are extremely concerned at the deterioration of the situation," she told KUNA. With the spread of armed groups on the ground, the terrorist organizations are complicating the situation.
ISIL, for instance, now controls a territory where 3.6 million Syrians live, who can still manage to get substantial amount of aid "despite the very difficult operating environment, despite the insecurity, and despite the attacks on humanitarian workers," she said.
"It is not enough to meet all the needs," she noted.
A huge amount of work is going on, despite all constraints, Amos said that they particularly focus on children, because it is important for Syria to have a future. "Syria's future lies with its children." Statistically speaking, 80 percent of the refugees, both internally displaced or those who fled the country, are women and children.
Amos called on the world to respond to the "people of Syria, who are suffering. The civilians who are not involved in the fighting, who are caught up in this." Politically, she called on world leaders to work together for a political solution and for "some kind of transition." When asked about her expectations for the upcoming Kuwait III slated for March 31, the UN humanitarian official said that countries that have been generous in the past, have to give "generously" again, by giving, she said. "it is a huge impetus to fund raising." In terms of numbers, complexity, and regional impact, Amos said Syria is currently the "biggest," however, Gaza, Yemen, South Sudan, Central Africa, Ebola and other issues are not less important.
Every person affected by violence, brutality or natural disaster is someone that "we have a responsibility to support. --- We cannot help everyone, yet we focus on the most vulnerable," she concluded.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon announced this month the appointment of Stephen O'Brien of the United Kingdom as Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and Emergency Relief Coordinator to succeed Valerie Amos.
Back in November, Ban said in a statement that Valerie Amos had informed him of her intention to step down, where he expressed his utmost gratitude for her outstanding service to the UN, the humanitarian community and people in need.
Amos will abandon her post after the Kuwait III. (end) mao.sd.msa