KUWAIT, March 30 (KUNA) -- UN Secretary General's Envoy for Humanitarian Affairs Abdullah Al-Maatouq Monday urged the international community to live up to its responsibility and end bloodshed in Syria, punish murderers and provide sustainable aid for the Syrian people.
Al-Maatouq, also Amiri Diwan Advisor, called on countries and international organizations to provide sustainable and multi-faceted assistance for the Syrians in order to honor their humanitarian and development needs.
"I urge the international community to live up to its responsibility and end the bloodshed that has been ongoing for four years, and activate the international humanitarian law and punish those who violate it," Al-Maatouq, also Amiri Diwan Advisor, told a meeting of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs), designed to help the Syrian people.
"The number of victims, those killed and injured and displaced and refugees, is doubling every year, and the international community still unable to take any position regarding the crisis" in Syria that killed more than 220,000 people and displaced some 12.5 million, said Al-Maatouq, also President of Kuwait-based International Islamic Charity Organization (IICO).
"We are looking forward to rallying efforts of the humanitarian organizations, boosting active partnership among humanitarian partners, to honor growing needs of the victims of the Syrian crisis, and to think of more sustainable solutions, strengthening national and regional capabilities, build comprehensive and diversified systems ... and share the refugees' hosting burden," said Al-Maatouq, speaking a day ahead of the Third International Pledging Humanitarian Conference for Syria.
Al-Maatouq, hoping the NGOs' meeting meets its objectives, warned that the Syrian crisis could happen in Libya, Yemen and Iraq, and all would have devastating consequences on the region and the entire world.
"The international community should stop its state of inaction and live up to its moral and humanitarian responsibility to face these dangers in order to stop the bloodshed," asserted Al-Maatouq, who thanked the host countries - Turkey, Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq and Egypt - for their service provided for the Syrian refugees.
He noted that Kuwait would be hosting the third Syria aid-pledging conference, also known as Kuwait II, sending another message that "enough is enough, enough wars and violence, enough fighting and displacement of the innocent, enough suppression of people, enough destruction of future of generations so people will live in stability, security and safety, and refugees return to their countries, students to their schools and universities, women live in degnity ... ." Al-Maatouq said the Syrian conflict injured 1.5 million people, with hundreds of people perished because of starvation and severe cold.
"We are witnessing a humanitarian disaster experienced by millions of displaced and refugees ..., who are in dire need of urgent humanitarian aid," he said.
Al-Maatouq said Kuwait government and NGOs have rushed to help the Syrian people.
He said the first Internatoinal pledging conference committed USD 1.5 billion and the second USD 2.4 billion, of the Kuwait contributed USD 800 million.
He added that 94 percent of these pledges have been honored, "which is an unprecedented in donors' conferences." Al-Maatouq said NGOs pledged USD 184 million in Kuwait I and USD 276 million in Kuwait II.
The meeting groups more than 100 international charities and relief organizations. (end) bs