UNITED NATIONS – Iraq’s northern Kurdistan Region is set to benefit from a United States pledge of US$17 million for more schools, health clinics and other schemes to assist the large number of Syrians who have fled the country's four-year civil war.
The money is part of an estimated $3.8 billion that was pledged to tackle the humanitarian crisis in Syria at a major donor meeting in Kuwait City that was attended by nearly 80 governments and dozens of aid agencies, according to the United Nations.
“In Iraq, the Kurdistan Regional Government hosts 96 per cent of Syrian refugees in the country, and has provided more than 2,000 square miles of land for the establishment of 11 camp and transit sites,” the US State Department said in a statement on Tuesday.
“This new funding will be used to repair health centers, expand schools, and improve water sanitation systems in the community. Other funding will go toward initiatives targeting women and girls, to provide vocational and language training, general literacy training and reproductive health.”
Karwan Zebari, the Kurdish government spokesman in the US, said he appreciated Washington’s generosity, but warned that Kurdish officials struggle to cope with more than 1.6 million internally-displaced Iraqis and Syrian refugees.
“Kurdish Regional Government officials participated in this conference and have reminded the international community of an obligation to assist the KRG, which has opened its doors and will continue to do so for anybody needing safety and security,” Zebari told Rudaw.
“We are grateful for these contributions from the international community at the Kuwait donor conference and hope we can count on further support. Refugees and the internally displaced are putting a huge burden on our infrastructure and our ability to provide services.”
The UN has appealed for $8.4 billion for Syria this year to help deal with the mounting humanitarian crisis. It seeks to help 18 million people inside Syria and those scattered throughout the region by a brutal civil conflict among multiple armed forces.
The US promised $507 million, Kuwait $500 million, the United Arab Emirates $100 million and Saudi Arabia $60 million.
“Today, the international community stepped forward in an unprecedented show of solidarity to ease their plight,” UN secretary-general Ban Ki-moon said at a press conference at the end of the meeting.
“With these resources, humanitarian agencies and their partners will be able to reach more people inside the country. These pledges will also help neighboring countries overcome the strain of hosting refugees, a strain that has taken a heavy toll on infrastructure and economies.”
More than 200,000 people have died and nearly half the Syrian population has been displaced by the chaos that began with anti-government protests in 2011 and led to full-scale civil war. The number of people needing aid has increased by 2.9 million in just 10 months.
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