Kuwait’s donors conference for Syria has forked in over $3.8 billion in aid so far on the first day, AFP reported, nearly halfway to the UN’s goal of raising $8.4 billion for the war-torn country.
Dozens of aid organizations and 38 nations have participated in the conference to raise aid after four years of conflict, creating a humanitarian crisis that Kuwait’s emir called the “worst in modern history.”
UN chief Ban Ki-Moon said in the conference that four out of every five Syrians now live in poverty. Lebanon also pleaded for $1 billion in aid to serve Syrian refugees.
The US has pledged $507 million, and non-governmental organizations $500 million.
The third donors conference for Syria has raised as much money as nearly the previous two combined, AFP reported. The international community has recently been criticized for its lack of support for Syrians.
