An international donors conference raised €6.4 billion ($6.7 billion) for Syrian refugees on Tuesday, EU Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi announced in Brussels.
Donors sent a strong signal that the European Union is "ready to do even more for peace" in Syria and the region, despite war in Ukraine and the Covid-19 pandemic, Varhelyi said at the event's conclusion.
Co-organized by the EU, the conference is the 10th annual donor conference for Syrians since 2013. After conferences in Kuwait and London, Brussels has been hosting the event since 2017.
The €6.4 in funding raised breaks down as €4.1 billion for 2022 and €2.3 billion for 2023, Varhelyi said, praising contributions as encouraging, with €4.8 billion coming from EU member states.
Germany gave €1.05 billion as "a substantial contribution for humanitarian aid," German Minister of State Tobias Lindner said upon arriving at the meeting in Brussels.
"Despite a war at our doorstep, the European Union does not forget other conflicts," EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a statement before the conference, referring to the war in Ukraine.
Borrell later stressed in a press conference the donations were for humanitarian needs.
The top EU diplomat said the bloc would not finance reconstruction in Syria without "a genuine and comprehensive" transition towards democracy.
Emergency aid organization Oxfam welcomed the donations in a statement, but criticized this distinction due to "political considerations," adding the funds raised are not enough to address Syria's long term needs after 11 years of conflict.
"There has been too much focus on emergency aid," Oxfam director for Syria, Moutaz Adham, said in a statement, urging the EU to consider the long-term needs of Syrians for housing, hospitals and schools.
Last year's conference raised €5.3 billion, of which €3.7 billion came from the European Commission and EU member states.
Syria has been in civil war since early 2011 when the regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests.
Over 400,000 people were killed, and more than 12 million needed to flee their homes becoming refugees or internally displaced over the past ten years, according to the EU.
Turkey is the largest host country for Syrian refugees and provides international protection to nearly 4 million people who fled the neighboring country.
