UK International Development Minister: The world must help Syria

For many Syrian refugees this winter is their fifth being spent under a tent. Since war broke out, they have lost their homes, their livelihoods and, in some cases, their families, too. As the bloodshed continues, their hopes of a better future are fading fast.

Syria is now the biggest and most urgent humanitarian crisis in the world. More than four million Syrians have fled the country – half of them children. Inside Syria itself the picture is desperately bleak.

People are under siege, starving, sick and unable to access basic medical care. There are 18 million people in desperate need of humanitarian assistance in Syria and the region – that’s more than 17 times the entire population of Birmingham, Birmingham Mail reported.

It is vital that the eyes of the world stay on Syria this year. We can, and must do, more to end the suffering. When you speak to Syrian refugees, they want to go home and help rebuild their country.

It is the humanitarian support, which we have proudly led, that makes it a viable option for them to stay in the region, closer to their homes, instead of making a perilous voyage to Europe.

Our aid is meeting the needs of refugees while also being firmly in Britain’s national interest.

Today, the UK co-hosts an international conference in London to galvanise a stronger international response on behalf of Syria and the region.