EU increases its emergency aid in Syria

USPA NEWS - The European Union is providing emergency funding of €2.5 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA), to deliver life-saving assistance to Palestinian refugees in Syria through cash and emergency relief items.

With intense fighting in the Yarmouk refugee camp, near Damascus, the humanitarian situation is dramatically deteriorating for 18000 Palestinian refugees and Syrians in the camp. Thousands remain trapped receiving little to no humanitarian assistance. “The suffering of civilians in Yarmouk camp is reaching intolerable levels. Once again, I strongly urge all parties to the conflict to allow immediate and unconditional humanitarian access, and to afford all necessary protection to Palestinian refugees and all affected civilian populations in Syria,“ said Christos Stylianides, Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management.

As part of the EU's 2015 humanitarian funding for Syria, support will facilitate a rapid humanitarian response to meet the needs of vulnerable families. This funding extends to all parts of Syria affected by the conflict, with specific focus on the recent violence in Yarmouk, Idlib, Dara´a and Aleppo. Recently, the European Union significantly increased its funding in response to the Syria crisis at Third International Pledging Conference for Syria in Kuwait. Together, the European Commission and Member States pledged close to 1.1 billion euros, double the overall EU pledge at the 2014 Conference.