Secretary of State John Kerry met today with leaders of several United Nations agencies and other international humanitarian organizations to reinforce the unwavering U.S. commitment to addressing the Syria humanitarian crisis, to hear from these leaders about the crucial work their organizations are doing to respond to the needs of the Syrian people, and to discuss ways to address challenges in delivering aid.
The Secretary thanked the leaders for their tireless efforts and the work of their respective organizations. They included the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA); the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR); the World Food Program (WFP); the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA); the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF); the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and the World Health Organization (WHO).
Before meeting with Secretary Kerry, the leaders of the humanitarian agencies met with U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Raj Shah, underscoring the United States’ ongoing efforts focused on addressing this humanitarian crisis.