South Korean Government Provides $13 Million in Aid to Syrian Refugees and Migrants

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Ham Sang-wook, Director-General for Multilateral Diplomacy Coordination at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, attended the donor conference on Syria and neighboring countries jointly hosted by the European Union (EU) and the United Nations (UN) from the 30th of last month until the early morning of the 1st as the representative of the Korean government. He announced that Korea plans to provide a total of 13 million USD this year to support Syrian refugees and migrants.

This conference was held to consolidate the continuous support and contributions of the international community amid the humanitarian crisis in Syria, which has persisted since the outbreak of the civil war in 2011 and has worsened due to the spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The Syrian situation is designated by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN OCHA) as one of the most severe humanitarian crises alongside the Yemen crisis. Since 2013, the UN and the international community have held annual donor conferences related to Syria.

Representatives from 57 countries including Korea, international organizations, and civil society expressed concern about the severity of the humanitarian crisis in Syria and called for a political solution to end the conflict. They also emphasized that it is a crucial time to continue contributions to Syria and neighboring countries despite the difficulties each country faces in responding to COVID-19.

Furthermore, concerns were raised about the worsening economic conditions in Syria and neighboring countries, especially the severe impact on vulnerable groups, as it has become difficult to carry out existing humanitarian aid, reconstruction, and development cooperation projects due to recent inter-country movement restrictions implemented to respond to COVID-19.

Director-General Ham emphasized, “Ultimately, a political solution is important to resolve the Syrian situation,” and expressed the government’s intention to continue participating in responding to the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Syria as well as the new challenge posed by COVID-19.

Additionally, Director-General Ham reaffirmed that Korea will continue to implement humanitarian aid and development cooperation projects totaling 13 million USD for Syria and neighboring countries. He also confirmed that, following President Moon Jae-in’s pledge of 100 million USD in support during the World Health Assembly in May, Korea will continue to provide assistance to countries in need related to COVID-19 response.

An official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs explained, “Following announcements of support for Venezuela and Yemen, our government actively participated in the international community’s efforts to support Syria at this conference,” and added, “We will continue to play a role befitting our international status as a responsible member of the international community.”