Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
The European Union and its Member States intend to make a major pledge for more relief, recovery and reconstruction in Turkey and more relief, recovery and rehabilitation in Syria. The European Union calls on other international partners and global donors to show solidarity with the people in Turkey and Syria in these difficult circumstances by mobilizing pledges in line with the scale and severity of the damage.
Therefore, the European Commission and the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the European Union will host an international donors' conference, on 20 March, in Brussels to support people affected by the recent devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria. In partnership, the conference is hosted by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the Prime Minister of Sweden, Ulf Christerson on behalf of the Swedish presidency of the Council, and the conference is organized in coordination with the Turkish authorities. The donor conference will be open to EU member states, candidate and potential candidates, neighboring and partner countries, members of the G20 - with the exception of Russia - and member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council, as well as the United Nations, international organizations, humanitarian actors, international and European financial institutions.
President Ursula von der Leyen said, “Six weeks after the devastating earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, we have gathered to support the survivors of this tragedy. Our solidarity remains as strong as it was in the first hours after the earthquake. People in Turkey and Syria must know that we are with them for the long haul.” I call on all nations and all donors, public and private, to contribute and honor the memory of those who lost their lives, honor the heroism of the first responders, and most importantly, build a better future for the survivors together.”
“The earthquakes in Turkey and Syria are a catastrophe of historic proportions,” said Ulf Kristersson, Prime Minister of Sweden. “I am saddened by the loss of life and homes, and the human suffering, the consequences are truly horrific. As President of the Council of the European Union, Sweden will do all we can, Together with the European Union and international partners, to assist those affected in the next stages of rehabilitation and early recovery.”
Preparations for the international donor conference are also underway following initial discussions between Commissioner for Neighborhood and Expansion Oliver Varhelyi, Swedish Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Johan Forssell, and Turkish authorities during their recent visit to Ankara, and invitations are expected to be sent soon.
In the aftermath of the February 6 earthquake, the EU immediately sent support, such as search and rescue teams, medical teams, shelter and medicines through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism. We also quickly allocated humanitarian assistance to affected people in both countries, as well as mobilizing EU emergency stocks through the European Humanitarian Response Capacity and European Rescue Unit.
In total, nearly €12 million of EU humanitarian aid has been allocated to respond to the urgent needs of the population in Turkey, and nearly €10 million has been immediately mobilized to respond to the immediate impacts of the earthquake in Syria.
Also, 1,750 rescue workers and 111 search dogs have been deployed via the European Union's Civil Protection Mechanism to support search and rescue operations in Turkey. Search and rescue teams deployed across the mechanism have saved many lives. Twenty EU member states, including Sweden and Montenegro, have also provided millions of items, including shelter equipment, heaters, generators, furniture, medical equipment, hygiene items, food, and warm clothing to residents in Turkey. Belgium, France, Italy, Spain and Albania also deployed medical teams and the Netherlands offered a medical evacuation plane through the mechanism. Two thousand tents and 8,000 beds have arrived, which have been mobilized through the reserves of the European Rescue Unit, which is being hosted by Romania. 500 relief housing units equipped with 2,500 beds have been dispatched from the stock hosted by Sweden.
The European Union is providing support to the Syrian people affected by the earthquake in both Government-controlled and non-Government-controlled areas. 6 flights have been organized across the European Humanitarian Response Capacity, and have already flown much needed assistance, from EU stocks in Dubai and Brindisi, to both northwest Syria and government-held areas. Winter tents, heaters, blankets, warm clothes, hygiene items, consumables, medical equipment, as well as medical units, field beds and other emergency items for people affected by the earthquake are being delivered to Syrians in need. In addition, 16 European countries have provided in-kind assistance to the Syrian people through the European Union's civil protection mechanism. Aid is also channeled through hubs in Beirut and Gaziantep, where EU civil protection experts help coordinate incoming donations. So full coordination of all relevant actors will be essential as the work progresses.
The International Donors Conference will be held back-to-back with the European Humanitarian Forum, co-organized by the European Commission and the Swedish Council Presidency, on 20-21 March 2023. The Forum will take place in the context of sharply increasing humanitarian needs, changing geopolitical realities, and shrinking humanitarian space. It will also provide a platform for European actors and the international community to discuss ongoing humanitarian challenges, including the humanitarian funding gap and the need to broaden the donor base.
In addition to the international donors' conference, the European Union will host on 14 and 15 June the 7th Brussels Conference on the future of donors. Syria and the region. The aim of the June conference will be to focus international engagement on a political solution to the conflict, and to generate pledges of humanitarian support for Syria and support for Syrian refugees and the communities hosting them in the region as a whole. The European Union and its Member States have been the largest donors supporting people in Syria and the region since the beginning of the crisis in 2011.