Finland Times

Helsinki, January 31 – Finland will grant additional 3.5 million euro in humanitarian assistance for people in Syria, where some 60,000 people were killed and numerous others displaces because of a civil conflict over the last 23 months.

The Finnish government was to make the announcement formally at the International Humanitarian Pledging Conference for Syria being held Wednesday in Kuwait, an official release said referring to a decision of Minister for International Development Heidi Hautala.

The Syrian civil war began in mid-March of 2011 as forces loyal to Ba’ath Party government of President Bashar al-Assad faced uprising for his ouster by the anti-Assad Syrians. Fighting continued between the forces and the protesters who have been demanding resignation of Assad and an end of nearly five decades of Ba’ath party rule in the country.

The United Nations estimate that more than four million Syrians are in need of acute humanitarian assistance. More than 700,000 refugees are registered or waiting to be registered in neighbouring Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq, Egypt and other North African countries.

The number of internally displaced persons exceeds two million, it said. Finnish aid will disbursed through four humanitarian organisations. One million euros will be allocated to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), one million euros to the UN agency World Food Programme (WFP), EUR 1.25 million to International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and EUR 250,000 to FinnChurchAid, said the foreign ministry.  Finnish support will also be used for provision of humanitarian aid to neighbouring countries of Syria.

The European Union and its Member States have granted a total of more than 422 million Euros of humanitarian aid for alleviating the refugee crisis in Syria and the neighbouring countries. Earlier, Finland had granted 3.6 million Euros in aid for the Syria crisis.

"Finland is deeply concerned about the deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Syria," Liisa Maunula, Finland's representative at the meeting in Kuwait Chargé d'Affaires of the Embassy of Damascus, said.

“We appeal to all parties involved to comply with the principles of international justice and ensure protection of civilian population. Humanitarian assistance must reach all those who need it. Finland supports the co-ordinating role of the UN in assisting the victims of the crisis," added Maunula.