ACT urges international community to step up for Syrian civilians

ACT urges international community to step up for Syrian civilians

Churches respond to Syria crisis, appeal for support

With the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) saying yesterday that a fresh wave of 21,000 Syrians had arrived in Jordan’s Za’atari refugee camp in the last week alone, ACT Alliance is calling on the international community to at long last pledge the funds needed to address this mounting emergency.

“The humanitarian crisis in Syria has reached desperate dimensions. The conflict has lasted 22 months. People are sleeping in the streets, unable to fulfil their basic needs, and there is a fear that the suffering will be exacerbated by the harsh winter and protracted conflict. Humanitarian aid should be rapidly scaled up with a massive increase of funding. Currently, the efforts remain severely underfunded,” says John Nduna, General Secretary of ACT.

In Syria, the security situation remains difficult. Food, shelter, protection, medical support and education are urgently needed. Women and children constitute the majority of the affected population.

“The international community must not continue failing innocent civilians. In addition to a rapid increase of funds, humanitarian actors should commit to improve the effective coordination of the response. UN-led coordination is key to ensuring that pressing needs are met,” Nduna urges.

The International Humanitarian Pledging Conference for Syria takes place today. It is hosted by Kuwait and aims to raise USD$1.5 billion for approximately five million Syrians suffering from the conflict. The conference is being held as the UN prepares to undertake a major humanitarian effort to provide for the basic needs of millions of internally displaced Syrians and for 650,000 refugees who have fled to neighboring countries.

ACT is responding to the conflict inside Syria and across its borders, including in the Za’atari camp in Jordan.

Click here to for the UCC and Disciples response, and to contribute.