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FAO appeals for donors for USD 121 mln

ROME, March 30 (KUNA) -- UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Monday appealed for donors attending the Third International Pledging Humanitarian Conference on Syria to contribute to support people affected by the Syrian crisis.
FAO urgently needs USD 121 million to prevent further deterioration of food security situation and collapse of regional food chains amidst the ongoing crisis in Syria, which has severely disrupted agricultural production and trade and left some 9.8 million people food insecure, FAO said today.
"We need to provide additional assistance to farmers to help them rebuild agricultural infrastructure and livelihoods, or we will see the food security situation continue to worsen," said Abdulsalam Ould Ahmad, FAO Assistant Director General and Regional Representative for the Near East and North Africa.
The third donors' conference, also known as Kuwait III, presents an opportunity to raise critical funds to strengthen agricultural production in communities across Syria and neighbouring countries, he added.
The Syrian crisis, now in its fifth year, displaced more than 11 million people, of whom close to four million have fled to neighboring countries - Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey.
Some 85 percent of these refugees have settled outside of camps, many in rural areas where agriculture is the livelihood of the poorest families.
In Syria itself, some 50 percent of livestock have been lost and the cereal harvest has dropped by half since the beginning of the crisis in 2011 due to conflict escalation and adverse weather.
Along with growing pressures on resources like water and land, the movement of people and livestock has also raised the risk of animal and plant diseases spreading across borders within and beyond the region. This is in part due to the collapse of the veterinary services in Syria, which has left thousands of animals unvaccinated.
Kuwait III, said FAO, aimed at raising funds required to meet needs outlined in the 2015 Syria Strategic Response Plan (SRP) and the Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan (3RP) 2015-16.
In all, responding to the crisis in Syria and its spillover in the region will require USD 2.9 billion for SRP and USD 5.5 billion for 3RP.
Under these plans, FAO is seeking USD 59 million for Syria, and USD 62 million for host communities in neighboring countries. (end) nm.bs