Amos visits Syria prior to Kuwait II conor conference

UN Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Valerie Amos said her trip to Syria this week is to see for herself the magnitude of the humanitarian tragedy caused by the three-year conflict. Amos explained that her mission to Syria is aimed at relaying her fresh findings to the Second International Humanitarian Pledging Conference for Syria, due in Kuwait on January 15, which comes at an "absolutely critical juncture." "I want to return to Syria before the Conference, because it is important for me to speak to the participants about what I have seen most recently," Amos told KUNA in an exclusive interview prior to her trip to Syria before her participation in the international donors' conference, due under Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's chairmanship. "I will continue my discussions with Government officials (in Syria) about protecting civilians, demilitarizing schools and hospitals and providing access to besieged communities," she said, expressing hope to be able to visit some of the communities close to Damascus. She expressed hope that the Kuwait conference will keep the attention focused on Syria and the neighbouring countries. "This is a huge, one of the biggest crises that we are facing right now. The burden has to be shared. That is part of our message," she added. Amos stressed that "this conference comes at an absolutely critical juncture. Kuwait has had extremely busy few months lately hosting other international conferences. We are very pleased that because of the commitment that Kuwait has to the UN, to Syria and to the Syrians in neighbouring countries, it has agreed to host this conference." She expressed gratitude to His Highness the Amir of Kuwait Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah who agreed to host both Kuwait I and Kuwait II donors' conferences last January and this month, respectively. "We are all extremely pleased that (His Highness) the Amir of Kuwait has agreed to the Secretary-General's request last year to hold a pledging conference for Syria," she said, noting that at that time, the number of people in need in Syria and in neighbouring countries was "much smaller than it is today." Last month, the UN launched its biggest ever appeal for USD 6.5 billion for Syria and its neighbouring countries for the year 2014. "Of course, if you look at it against what the international community spends on a whole range of other issues, it does not seem so much. But if you just measure it against other humanitarian appeals, it is enormous," Amos noted. Although the appeal is for USD 6.5 billion, she explained, the UN is not seeking that amount at the Kuwait II conference. "In terms of what we are hoping to raise at the conference itself, we have not so far announced the figure. I don't think that we are going to have a pledging conference that will deliver the USD 6.5 billion. No, that is not what we are looking for at all. What we are looking for is to start the process, keep the dynamic going, keep the funding (coming)," she said. This year's conference happens at an "even more important time," she indicated, arguing that 9.3 million people inside Syria are affected by the crisis, 6.5 million are internally displaced, many of them more than once, and over 2.3 million are registered refugees in neighbouring countries. The real number of refugees, she suggested, is even greater. "We have all been shocked and appalled by the ongoing brutality and violence that we have seen on the ground, and we know it is having a particular impact on children and women who are very much the face of this conflict," she said. That is why, she explained, the UN priority areas in Syria and neighbouring countries this time are children. "If we are to secure Syria's future, we have to secure Syria's children," by providing them with the necessary education, healthcare and shelter. She recalled that at the Kuwait I donor conference, held in January 2013, the GCC countries pledged "generously, and Kuwait very much led the way."