KUWAIT, March 31 (KUNA) -- UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon Tuesday expressed "shame and deep anger and frustration" at the international community's failure to adress the war in Syria, appealing for donors to generously contribute to help needy Syrians.
Addressing the Third International Pledging Humanitarian Conference for Syria, Ban said the Syrian people were suffering from the bloody war in their country, calling for punishing those responsible for those "serious crimes" committed against the Syrian people.
More than 90 percent of Kuwait II's pledges of USD 2.4 billion have been committed, he said, yet as needs continue to grow so do the appeals which at Kuwait III are USD 8.4 billion.
"Let me begin by thanking His Highness the Amir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah for hosting this humanitarian pledging conferemce for Syria for the third time.
The support of the recently UN-designated Humanitarian Leader is a "clear testament to the government of Kuwait's global commitment to humanitarian action," he said.
Describing the conflict which has entered its fifth year as "the worst humanitarian crisis of our time," he said the Syrian people "are not asking for sympathy, they are asking for support.
"I often think back on my visits in recent years to refugee camps in Turkey, Jordan and Iraq.
"Children asked: 'Why am I here? What did I do wrong? When can I go home? I have no answer. I have only shame and deep anger and frustration at the international community's impotence to stop the war.
They "have been systematically killed, injured and displaced," he said, with "more and more children being recruited to fight. Millions are out of school, creating yet another lost generation.
He added, "year, after year, after year, the world has watched Syria being torn apart. By conservative estimates , more than 220,000 Syrians are now dead. This number is likely much higher.
"Four out of five Syrians live in poverty, misery and deprivation. The country has lost nearly four decades of human development. Unemployment is over 50 percent. Life expectancy has been cut by an astounding 20 years," he mentioned.
He went on to point out the staggering number of people forced to flee their homes as "nearly half of the country's men, women and children." Ban also noted to the "extreme hardship" currently facing Palestinian refugees hosted by camps in Syria.
"Most have been displaced, yet again. Many of the nearly 560,000 Palestine refugees had been self-sufficient. Today, 95 percent are entirely dependent on UNRWA (UN Relief and Works Agency)." He noted to two strategies on how pledges would be utilized as the Syria Strategic Response Plans and the Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan.
"In addition to life-saving aid, the appeals promote resilience inside and outside Syria." On a final note, he urged that a political solution based on the Geneva Communique was the best humanitarian solution to end the suffering in the "world's worst humanitarian disaster.
"The Syrian people are looking to us," he said. (end) kt.sd