New pledges to Help Children Affected by Crisis in Syria

By an IPS Correspondent Reprint | | Print |

NEW YORK, Sep 24 2014 (IPS) - The U.N. children’s agency UNICEF welcomed the $347 million in new funding commitments to the “No Lost Generation Initiative announced Wednesday, according to a UNICEF press release.

The new commitments by UK Department for International Development (DfID), USAID, the European Union and other partners will help reduce a $585 million gap in funding for education and protection to safeguard the future of millions of children affected by the conflict in Syria, now in its fourth year.

The No Lost Generation Initiative was launched by a broad coalition of partners to address the long-term impact of the conflict, with the conviction that investment in educating the minds and healing the hearts of the children of Syria is fundamentally an investment in the future of Syria.

The new commitments include:

— $145 million from the EU for education and protection programmes in Syria and especially in the neighbouring countries.

— From USAID, a $45 million investment in education over the next four years in Lebanon and up to $45 million by 2019 to improve teaching and learning processes nationwide in public schools in Jordan.

— Up to $82 million from the UK to bolster education and protection programmes in Syria and across the region.

— In addition, Norway and Germany pledged $10 million each to the No Lost Generation initiative, while the Netherlands and the Republic of Korea respectively promised $9 million and $1 million.