Kuwait and UAE pledge $600m to help Syria victims

The Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmed Al Jaber Al Sabah, pledged the money at the third annual Syria donors conference hosted by his country.

Emir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah at the opening ceremony the third Syria donors conference at Bayan palace in Kuwait City. Kuwait's emir pledged $500m at the start of event. AFP Show more

KUWAIT CITY // Kuwait pledged US$500 million (Dh1.8 billion) while the UAE promised $100m at the third annual Syria donors conference in Kuwait City on Tuesday.
"We are meeting here to face the biggest humanitarian catastrophe in the modern history of mankind," said the Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmed Al Jaber Al Sabah, as he announced the pledge at the start of the conference.
Kuwait promised the same amount last year.
Sheikha Lubna Al Qasimi, UAE Minister of International Cooperation and Development, announced her country's pledge.
Representatives of other countries attending the conference are also expected to announce pledges later in the day.
The United Nations launched an $8.4bn appeal for its Syria operations in the year ahead.
With the Syrian conflict now in its fifth year, nearly 4 million Syrians are refugees and more than eight million are displaced inside the country.
About 220,000 Syrians have been killed since peaceful protests against the Assad regime that began in 2011 descended into civil war.
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