The tallies are in, showing that the Norwegian-initiated international donor conference for Syria last week resulted in pledges of nearly USD 6 billion (NOK 52 billion) this year alone. The amount over the next four years was approaching USD 10 billion.
Norway itself pledged NOK 10 billion over the next four years and called on its neighbours and other countries around the world to support the suffering Syrian population with much more.
“I experienced a very positive mood and willingness to help,” Norwegian Prime Minister Erna Solberg said when the conference in London was over. Now she just hopes all the countries actually pay what they have promised.
Norway, Great Britain, Germany and Kuwait co-hosted the conference and hoped the 60 countries participating would double the USD 3.8 billion pledged at a similar conference last year. That didn’t happen, but Solberg was satisfied. The EU pledged, for example, NOK 28.5 billion, the US raised its support by NOK 7.7 billion, Germany promised NOK 10.5 billion this year and NOK 22 billion by 2018, while Great Britain promised to raise its support for Syria to NOK 15 billion by 2020.
newsinenglish.no staff
