World leaders hail aid to help displaced Syrians

World leaders have hailed a landmark package of aid and economic support for Middle Eastern countries overwhelmed by refugees fleeing the devastating conflict in Syria.

Close to $11bn (£7.5bn) in aid was pledged by donors at an international conference in London on 4 February, along with around $40bn (£27bn) in loans to support the creation of jobs and stimulate the economies of Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan, who between them have taken in more than three million refugees.

David Cameron, who hosted the conference along with the leaders of Kuwait, Norway Germany, and the United Nations, said the sum was “the largest amount of money ever raised in one day in response to a humanitarian crisis”. Up to $6bn has been pledged for 2016, and a further $5bn in pledged support up to 2020. The figure for 2016 is still well short of the target for $9bn set by the UN and the countries most affected by the refugee crisis. Aid organisations including Oxfam and Save the Children welcomed the new pledges but said humanitarian organisations would still be short of what was “urgently needed”.

In previous years, international humanitarian efforts to protect people in Syria and refugees in neighbouring have been woefully underfunded. Mr Cameron said the new pledges would help address the shortfall, “bolster stability in the region” and also help to stem the flow of refugees to Europe.

He said that funding would see 1 million children currently not in school gaining access to education, while one million jobs could be created by economic stimulus packages.