Only time and checkbooks will tell whether or not the Syria donors conference held in London Thursday will be hailed an historic day for Syria and the almost 20 million vulnerable Syrian refugees worldwide.
On the face of it, more than 60 countries pledged $10 billion — about $5.6 billion for 2016 and $5.1 billion for 2017-2020. This is in addition to the $1.8 billion pledged last year for 2016 in Kuwait, and exceeds Thursday’s $9.1 billion goal, set by the United Nations after three listless pledging rounds in four years.
But the conference marks a departure from the pledging norm for another reason. For the first time, donors like the United Kingdom emphasized nonhumanitarian, sector-based goals, focusing on education more than food aid, and economic development in lieu of things like shelter.
About the author
Molly Andersmollyanders_dev
Molly Anders is a former U.K. correspondent for Devex. Based in London, she reports on development finance trends with a focus on British and European institutions. She is especially interested in evidence-based development and women’s economic empowerment, as well as innovative financing for the protection of migrants and refugees. Molly is a former Fulbright Scholar and studied Arabic in Syria, Jordan, Egypt and Morocco.
