Arab News Japan

TOKYO: Japan decided to provide an additional contribution of about $200 million USD for assistance to the people in Syria and its neighboring countries in the year 2021, Japanese state minister for foreign affairs Eiichiro Washio said at the fifth conference on “Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region, Brussels IV Conference, 2021” co-chaired by the European Union and the United Nations and was held on-line on March 30.

Washio told the conference through video statement that the Syrian people should not be left in the current unstable circumstances while this month marks the tenth anniversary of the Syrian crisis.

Following the prolonged Syrian crisis, organizers of the conference said they aim to secure continuous support by the international community toward the Syrian people and the neighboring counties/regions, and reaffirm the support for a political solution to the crisis.

The conference brought together 78 delegations comprising 52 countries, 9 regional organizations and international financial institutions (IFIs), and 17 UN agencies.

In the Conference, participants reviewed progress in the commitments made by the participants at the Brussels IV Conference in 2020, and announced new commitments for this year or as multi-year pledges.

The total of the new pledges was approximately USD $4.4 billion for 2021, and approximately USD $2 billion for multi-year pledges after 2022. In addition, IFIs and donors announced a total of USD $7 billion for loans.

In his video statement, Washio reaffirmed Japan’s “unwavering commitment” towards the political solution of the crisis and improvement of the humanitarian situation, according to the foreign ministry in Tokyo.

Japan’s new commitment for 2021 was ranked 6th after Germany (USD $1,121 million), the European Commission (USD $660 million), USA (USD $596 million, UK (USD $286 million), Canada (USD $262 million).

According to Japanese officials, participants reaffirmed that the international community needs to respond all the more flexibly, through providing assistance in various areas such as WASH (water/sanitation/health) education, women/gender, livelihood and resilience support, considering diversifying humanitarian needs due to the prolonged crisis as well as the socio-economic impact of COVID-19.

Furthermore, many participants stressed the importance of extending the UN Security Council Resolution 2533 that enables cross-border humanitarian assistance, in order to secure the humanitarian access, and reaffirmed the need for continuous support to the host communities in neighboring countries that accept many Syrian refugees.

“The importance of a political solution to the Syrian crisis in line with relevant UN resolutions, including UN Security Council Resolution 2254, was repeatedly underlined by many countries, and participants, as the international community, renewed their commitment to continue diplomatic engagements and support for the resolution of the Syrian crisis,” officials said.