Pledges to provide 7.5 billion euros to Syrian refugees in grants and loans at the Brussels meeting

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Yesterday, Monday, international donors pledged to provide 7.5 billion euros to help Syrian refugees, including 5 billion in the form of grants and 2.5 billion euros in loans on concessional terms.

The ministerial meeting of the eighth Brussels Conference on supporting the future of Syria and the region was concluded in the Belgian capital, Brussels, with the participation of Arab foreign ministers, member states of the European Union, the United Nations, and international institutions.

European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said, "The situation in Syria today is more dangerous than it was a year ago. In fact, the situation has never been this dangerous," and added: "And the humanitarian needs have never been this great."

According to Borrell, 16.7 million Syrians currently need humanitarian aid, which is the highest level since the beginning of the crisis more than 13 years ago.

In turn, European Union Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčić, in statements after the conference, welcomed the collection of 5 billion euros in the form of grants and 2.5 billion in the form of loans to help Syrian refugees, indicating that there is a commitment to provide about 3.9 billion euros of the 5 billion euro grant in the year. 2024, and the rest in 2025 and beyond.

He stated that international financial institutions and donors provided loans on concessional terms amounting to 2.5 billion euros.

At last year's conference, a total of €9.6 billion in grants and loans was committed. The World Bank said last Saturday that more than a quarter of Syrians live in extreme poverty, 13 years after a devastating conflict, which led to successive economic crises and left millions of residents unable to secure their basic needs.