The EU was yesterday to hold a conference in Brussels to ramp up funds from international donors to help the victims of the devastating earthquake that hit Turkey and Syria last month.
The catastrophic magnitude 7.8 quake flattened entire cities, killing more than 50,000 people across southeastern Turkey and parts of war-torn Syria.
Millions were displaced, and a preliminary estimate from the UN says the damage in Turkey alone could amount to more than US$100 billion.
Photo: AP
Flash floods in the region last week added to the misery, killing 14 people living in temporary shelters.
The UN Development Programme complained earlier this month about the poor level of response to a call made in the middle of last month for urgent funding. Aid organization International Rescue Committee (IRC) urged donors to ensure the UN’s emergency appeal for US$1 billion for Turkey and US$397 million for Syria is fully funded.
The appeal for Turkey has only been 16 percent fulfilled, while the figure for Syria stands at 72 percent, the UN said.
“Over a month since the earthquake, the situation in affected regions remains desperate,” IRC Syria country director Tanya Evans said.
“With many homes damaged or destroyed, many people are left with no choice but to sleep in overcrowded and under-resourced collective shelters,” Evans said.
The EU, which is hosting the conference in coordination with the Turkish government, has said it plans to make a “significant pledge” for further relief, recovery and reconstruction.
It has called on the international community to commit funds “in line with the scale and magnitude of the damage,” said Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has admitted shortcomings in the Turkish government’s initial response and would attend the conference via video link.
Turkey is a key partner for the EU, even if ties are often strained, and the bloc already gives billions of Euros in aid to help its eastern neighbor house refugees from Syria’s 12-year war.
However, the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, sanctioned by the West since the brutal crackdown that sparked the ongoing civil war, would not be involved.
While international rescue teams and aid flowed quickly to Turkey, humanitarian organizations faced major hurdles reaching stricken areas in northern Syria.
UN investigators said the area became the “epicenter of neglect,” as the warring factions and hesitancy by the international community have held up desperately needed aid.
The disaster had only “further exacerbated the suffering caused by the existing conflict across Syria,” High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell said.
“A country at peace would have been much better prepared to face this tragic event, and equipped to address its consequences,” he said.
Aid has belatedly begun reaching the stricken areas in northern Syria. The EU and US eased sanctions to try to speed up deliveries, and the Syrian government opened two border crossings.
Assad has been receiving calls and humanitarian aid from Arab leaders in the aftermath of the quake, in a move analysts say could be the start of improved ties.
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