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90 pct of Kuwait II pledges honored -- Amb. Al-Otaibi

Kuwait's permanent representative to the UN Mansour Al-Otaibi
Kuwait's permanent representative to the UN Mansour Al-Otaibi

By Mohammad Al-Otaibi

NEW YORK, March 20 (KUNA) -- Kuwait's permanent representative to the UN Mansour Al-Otaibi has said 90 percent of pledges at Kuwait's donors conference for Syrian people, held in January 2014, were honored, a percentage described by the envoy as "very high." He said the pledges delivered exceeded USD two billion, out of USD 2.4 billion committed during the Second International Pledging Conference for the Syrian people.
Kuwait hosted the first conference in January 2013 and pledges amounted to USD 1.5 billion. Kuwait contributed USD 300 million in the first conference and USD 500 million in the second.
Kuwait is set to host the third conference on March 31 with the UN seeking to collect USD billions to honor growing needs of some 12.5 million Syrian people, either internally displaced or living as refugees in neighboring countries.
"The humanitarian conditions are deteriorating because of the continuation of the crisis and violence, and the Syrian authorities' failure to abide by the relevant UN Security Council resolutions, specially those aim at improving the humanitarian situation," Ambassador Al-Otaibi said.
"More than 12 million people need help and there are figures released by institutions and UN agencies showing the size of destruction, and the economic, social and humanitarian impacts of this crisis," Al-Otaibi told KUNA.
The Syrian conflict broke out in March 2011, killing more than 220,000 people and injured many more, as well as causing massive losses for the Syrian economy.
The UN, to appeal for up to USD 8.4 billion during the coming donors conference, better known as Kuwait III, launched the Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan 2015-16 (3RP) late last year in order to address suffering of Syrian refugees in host communities in neighboring countries at humanitarian and development levels.
The Syrian conflict is entering its five year year now with no solution looming in horizon thus causing what has become to be known as Donors Fatigue, triggering social problems irrelevant to sole humanitarian needs. The Syrian refugees are becoming helpless and lack financial resources thus seeking all means to survive, like forcing early marriage of girls and sell basic belongings.
"This is the biggest humanitarian crisis, and the Syrian refugees which are 3.8 million people are the largest refugee community in the world," said Al-Otaibi.
The humanitarian needs are "very massive, and the humanitarian appeals launched by the UN for 2015 are USD 8.4 billion which are quite unprecedented," he added.
The 3RP is dedicated to Syrian refugees in five neighboring countries - Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt, while the Syrian Response Plan is for over 6.5 million internally displaced.
Al-Otaibi wished success for the upcoming conference in order to alleviate suffering of the Syrian refugees.
Kuwait hosted the first and second aid pledging conferences for Syria in 2013 and 2014. The events successfully raised USD 3.9 billion in aid pledges, USD 1.5 billion in the first and USD 2.4 billion in the second.
Kuwait donated a total of USD 800 million in the two conferences, USD 300 million in the first and USD 500 in the second. (end) mao.bs