Press Release
U.S. Mission to the United Nations
Geneva, Switzerland
June 5, 2012
United States is providing an additional $12.8 million to bolster the Syrian humanitarian response, bringing the total amount of U.S. assistance in 2012 to just over $52 million. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, Kelly T. Clements confirmed this contribution at the Syria Humanitarian Forum held in Geneva on June 5, 2012.
With this additional $12.8 million, the United States is providing $5 million to the International Committee of the Red Cross and nearly $8 million to non-governmental organizations assisting the displaced in Syria, Jordan and Lebanon. These funds will benefit populations within Syria by providing much-needed emergency health care and services to help children, women and men cope with the trauma of living in the midst of ongoing violent conflict. Additionally, NGOs in Lebanon and Jordan will provide displaced Syrians with health and psychosocial services, shelter rehabilitation, and other humanitarian assistance.
In announcing the additional humanitarian assistance, Ms. Clements underscored, “It is our deepest hope that the violence that has created this humanitarian emergency will end, and with it, the suffering of the Syrian people. It is essential that all donors do their utmost to guarantee that our humanitarian response does not falter for lack of funds. Donors must step forward and provide resources now.”
The United States appreciates the efforts of the U.N.’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the League of Arab States, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, and ECHO, the European Commission’s humanitarian aid service, who jointly chaired the meeting of the Syria Humanitarian Forum. The United States will continue to support the important work that international and non-governmental organizations carry out in the region in conjunction with the generous nations of Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, and Iraq, who are hosting and assisting those fleeing the brutal violence in Syria.