Norway to provide NOK 1.7 billion in support to Syria

Today, the European Commission hosted the seventh Brussels Conference on ‘Supporting the future of Syria and the region’. State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Erling Rimestad represented Norway at the conference.

‘More than 15 million Syrians were in urgent need of humanitarian assistance already before the earthquake hit in February. Now, as a result of the earthquake, that number has risen still higher,’ said Ms Huitfeldt.

Over the past 12 years, Norway has provided more than NOK 18 billion to alleviate the crisis in Syria. The funding has been channelled through the UN, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, and Norwegian and international organisations, and is being used to support both humanitarian and stabilisation efforts. Norway is one of the largest donors of assistance to Syria and the region, particularly to refugees and those who are internally displaced.

Norway will continue to shift the focus of its assistance towards an early recovery approach, which is vital to strengthen services and facilities that are critical for people's health and safety. Norway is providing support for income-generating activities and the rehabilitation of agriculture and irrigation facilities, with the aim of enabling people in Syria and its neighbouring countries to become more self-sufficient. Health and education services need to be rebuilt, and water and sewage systems need to be repaired to prevent them from collapse. In Syria and several of its neighbouring countries, there is also an urgent need for action to remove explosives and other dangerous remnants of war.

‘Norway supports the efforts of the UN Special Envoy to find a peaceful solution in Syria. Only an inclusive political solution can bring an end to this conflict and the suffering of the Syrian people,’ said Ms Huitfeldt.

According to UN estimates, Syria's neighbouring countries – in particular Lebanon, Jordan and Türkiye – have taken in approximately five million Syrian refugees. The influx of so many refugees has placed a major strain on these countries. Most of the support provided by Norway for the Syria crisis goes to the Syrian people. The remainder goes towards meeting the needs of refugees in neighbouring countries.