4 February 2016 (UN News): An international conference on war-torn Syria in London today pledged a record $10 billion after United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon laid out three main objectives: raising $7 billion in immediate humanitarian aid, mustering long-term support, and protecting civilians.
More than half of the pledged amount is earmarked to meet immediate needs in 2016 in a country where nearly five years of war has killed over 250,000 people, sent over 4 million fleeing Syria, displaced 6.5 million internally, and put 13.5 million people inside the country in urgent need of humanitarian aid.
Getting 1.7 million children to school
He hailed the commitment to get 1.7 million children in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey into school, and to increase access to learning opportunities for children inside Syria.
