World Vision welcomes new pledges on Syria

Friday, February 5, 2016

World Vision Australia CEO Tim Costello has described Australia’s commitment of an additional $25 million for relief work in Syria and Iraq as “a good start”, and the global pledge of $13.5 billion as “a strong commitment” that must be honoured and followed up with a renewed international push for peace.

On Australia’s new commitment, Mr Costello said: “It’s a good start. More will be needed. The scale of the tragedy in Syria will demand it.”

Mr Costello welcomed Foreign Minister Julie Bishop’s comment at the Syria Donors Conference in London that, “We must seek to alleviate the suffering of the Syrian people” as well as relieve the immense strain on countries neighbouring Syria that have absorbed millions of refugees.

He said she was also right when she remarked, “We must not lose sight of the fact that the only solution to the Syrian crisis is to end the conflict”.

He said it was tragic that as these decisions were being made there were more bombs falling on the Syrian city of Aleppo causing UN-brokered peace talks to be put on hold. “This has gone on for too long,” Mr Costello said. “There has been too much suffering, a solution must be found to end the conflict.”

Mr Costello applauded the international community’s response of $13.5 billion – led by pledges of more than $2 billion by both Britain and Germany. “This is a strong commitment, led by European nations that are now witnessing first-hand the tragedy that has unfolded in Syria over the past five years as refugees seek new homes for themselves and their children.”

Mr Costello said the detail of Australia’s new commitment was yet to be seen, but he hoped Australian humanitarian agencies would receive new injections of funds to continue their relief efforts with refugees.

On the eve of the pledging conference, Mr Costello joined with business leaders in urging the Turnbull Government to double aid for Syria and double the intake of Syrian refugees, to 25,000, saying Australia must not shirk its international responsibility.

A coalition of 90 humanitarian agencies, including World Vision, had called for an ambitious and transformational new multi-billion dollar deal for Syrian refugees and the countries hosting them in the region.

As the crisis enters its sixth year and ongoing suffering reaches historic proportions in scale and intensity, warring parties continue to commit war crimes, including besiegement and targeting of civilians; 13.5 million people inside Syria are in need of emergency relief and on average, 50 Syrian families have been uprooted from their homes every hour of every day since the conflict began in 2011.

Last year, UN appeals were less than 60 percent funded.  Australia contributed $67.7 million (US$44.3m) to the crisis last year. Analysis by Oxfam Australia suggested that Australia’s “fair share” of relief funding would be $178.2 million (US$125.1m).

 

 For World Vision Australia comment, contact: Stuart Rintoul: +61 (0) 407 241 492

 

Media Releases, Middle East, Eastern Europe & Central Asia, Australian Government, Syria, Tim Costello

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