UN appeals for nearly $400 million to aid Syrian earthquake victims – Xinhua English.news.cn

Xinhua News Agency, United Nations, February 14 (Reporter Mao Lei) On the 14th, UN Secretary-General Guterres called on the international community to donate 397 million US dollars to provide urgently needed humanitarian assistance to the victims of the earthquake in Syria.

Guterres told the media on the same day that the funds will be used to provide urgently needed temporary shelters, medical and health services, and food assistance to nearly 5 million Syrians affected by the disaster in the next three months. He said that a similar donation plan for the affected people in Turkey has also entered the final stage of preparation.

After the earthquakes in Turkey and Syria, the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund fast-tracked a total of US$50 million to support humanitarian operations in the two countries. Guterres said that although the United Nations has done its best, it is far from meeting the huge humanitarian needs. More than a week after the earthquake, millions of people in Syria are still struggling for survival, facing problems such as homelessness and severe cold weather.

Guterres urged UN Member States and other donors to act now to provide the full funding needed. He also called on not to artificially create barriers in aid access, fund raising and material supply, so as to avoid exacerbating the suffering caused by this huge natural disaster.

A strong earthquake hit southern Turkey near the Syrian border on the 6th, causing heavy casualties to Turkey and Syria. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in a press release on the 14th that 8.8 million people in Syria were affected by the earthquake, and the damage suffered in the northwestern region was relatively more serious.