For Immediate Release

Office of Press Relations
press@usaid.gov

Press Release

Today, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield announced more than $596 million in additional humanitarian assistance for the people of Syria. The announcement, at the fifth Brussels Conference on “Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region,” co-chaired by the European Union and the United Nations, comes amid a somber milestone this month with the crisis now in its 10th year. The United States remains the single largest donor to the Syria crisis response, providing nearly $13 billion since the start of the decade-long conflict, which has left 13.4 million people in dire need of assistance and forced 13 million people from their homes.

This assistance, provided by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the U.S. Department of State, will further support response efforts for vulnerable communities inside Syria, as well as Syrian refugees and host communities in Turkey, Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan, and Egypt. USAID funding will enable our humanitarian partners to continue providing urgently-needed emergency food and nutrition support, as well as relief supplies and cash assistance to help meet critical needs of newly displaced families; rehabilitating shelters damaged by the conflict and natural disasters; restoring livelihoods; and ensuring communities’ access to safe and reliable sources of water, particularly for COVID-19 mitigation efforts.

Only a lasting political settlement can bring an end to this crisis and the suffering of the Syrian people. The United States will continue to advance a political resolution, in line with Security Council Resolution 2254, to end the crisis in Syria in close consultation with our allies, partners, and the United Nations. The United States will not provide reconstruction assistance absent progress on the political track. The U.S. remains deeply concerned by the rapidly deteriorating food security crisis in Syria, which makes UN cross-border assistance critical to the well-being of civilians who rely on aid to survive. The U.S. will continue to be a leader in the humanitarian response and work with the UN Security Council to expand and reauthorize existing UN cross-border access. The U.S. will also continue to encourage other donors to contribute to support the Syrian people.