Annalena Baerbock said the German government would give an additional 300 million euros for agencies providing aid to Syrians [NICOLAS TUCAT/AFP via Getty Images]
Germany on Monday kicked off a new pledging round of aid for Syria, as the EU hosts a donor drive for the war-torn country after the ouster of Bashar al-Assad.
For the first time, the Syrian authorities will be represented at the annual conference in Brussels – with interim foreign minister Asaad al-Shaibani set to attend.
Western and regional powers are desperate to steer Syria onto the road to stability after 14 years of civil war that have sent millions of refugees over its borders.
But an outbreak of deadly violence this month – the worst since Assad was toppled in December – has rocked confidence in the new Islamist-led authorities.
“There can only be a peaceful future for Syria if there is an inclusive political process,” German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said.
She announced Berlin would provide an additional 300 million euros for the United Nations and other organisations providing assistance for Syrians in the country and around the region.
The EU has held its annual donor drive for Syria for the past eight years – but it mainly focused on supporting refugees in neighbouring countries and avoided any contacts with the Assad regime.
The conference is focused on bolstering funds for the most urgent humanitarian needs facing Syrians and refugees living around the region.
Syria’s needs are massive as swathes of the country lie in ruins and the economy has been ravaged by years of international isolation after Assad’s 2011 crackdown on opposition protests sparked the civil war.
The country still faces a dire humanitarian situation, with an estimated 16.7 million people in need of assistance.
The United Nations says that at current growth rates, Syria would need more than 50 years to get back to its economic level before the outbreak of its devastating civil war.
US pullback?
Syria’s new rulers – headed by former Islamist rebel commander Ahmed al-Sharaa – have been clamouring for assistance to help the country’s recovery.
The EU has eased sanctions on key sectors of the economy, but along with other powers it insists the authorities must make good on promises for an inclusive transition.
“We need to continue with the lifting of sanctions, because if there is hope for the people, then there is also less chaos,” EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas said.
There have been positive moves from Damascus, including Sharaa signing a constitutional declaration laying out a five-year transitional period and rights for women and freedom of expression.
But hopes were shaken by the violence on Syria’s Mediterranean coast, which the Syrian Network for Human Rights said saw 803 extrajudicially killed, including killings targeting the Alawite minority to which the Assad family belongs.
Kallas said the EU wanted to see the new Syrian leadership “holding accountable those people who have done these massacres”.
Last year’s donor drive raised 7.5 billion euros ($8.2 billion) dollars in grants and loans to help the people of Syria.
Efforts to top that level this time around could however be hit by US President Donald Trump’s axing of Washington’s foreign aid budget.
A representative from the US government is expected at the Brussels event, EU officials said.
Up until now the United States has been the single biggest individual donor to fund humanitarian efforts in Syria, according to the United Nations.
Even before Trump’s return to power the United Nations’ humanitarian response plan remained woefully underfunded at just 35 percent of the $4.1 billion demanded.
EU officials said they hope Arab countries in the Middle East will step up to help fill any gaps left by the United States.
There are expected to be other conferences focused on funding reconstruction in Syria in the future, they said.
