Donors' Conference for Türkiye and Syria: MEPs welcome pledges made

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Commending the remarkable efforts of the Conference, MEPs stress that for sustainable recovery, public aid needs to be complemented by international and local private investments.

Following the International Donors' Conference ‘Together for the people in Türkiye and Syria', held on 20 March in Brussels, and the decision to pledge seven billion Euro for the recovery and relief response after the devastating earthquakes, seven leading MEPs issued this joint statement :

“Our resolve to support the people in Türkiye and Syria after the devastating earthquakes in February 2023 remains undiminished. In the immediate aftermath, the European Union demonstrated true solidarity by activating the civil protection mechanism to send rescue teams and urgently needed humanitarian aid. The Donors’ Conference was a clear proof of the EU's determination to continue extending a helping hand during the lengthy recovery process.

We commend the remarkable efforts of the European Commission and the Swedish Council Presidency at mobilising a total of seven billion Euro together with international donors. However, given the sheer scale of destruction, we highlight that the new pledges given at this Conference can only be a beginning and urge EU Member States, governments around the world, and all international stakeholders to step up their financial support even further. In order to meet the long-term needs of the people in Türkiye and Syria, public aid needs to be complemented by both international and local private investments to enable comprehensive and sustainable rehabilitation efforts.

All financial support needs to be channelled through trusted partners and disbursed in the most transparent and accountable way. Humanitarian aid should be provided solely on the basis of need and be guided by humanitarian principles. All contributions and efforts have to be sustainable, socially just, safe and aimed at maintaining existent demographic structures.

The difficult humanitarian situation in affected regions in Türkiye, and in particular Northern Syria, which is facing severe humanitarian needs as a result of an over a decade long civil war, requires unrestricted access and a speedy and efficient delivery of humanitarian assistance in support of vulnerable populations affected by the devastating earthquakes. Our solidarity with the people in Türkiye and Syria affected by the disaster is unwavering, and will remain at the core of our actions towards these countries.”

The statement was co-signed by:

David McAllister (EPP, Germany), Chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee;

Tomas Tobé (EPP, Sweden), Chair of the Development Committee;

Sergey Lagodinsky (The Greens/EFA, Germany), Chair of the Delegation to the EU-Türkiye Joint Parliamentary Committee;

Isabel Santos (S&D, Portugal), Chair of the Delegation for relations with the Mashreq countries;

Carlos Zorrinho (S&D, Portugal), Standing Rapporteur for Humanitarian Aid;

Nacho Sánchez Amor (S&D, Spain), Standing Rapporteur for Türkiye;

Nathalie Loiseau (Renew, France), Standing Rapporteur for Syria.