MADRID Dec. 30 () –
The German Minister of Development, Svenja Schulze, has announced that the Executive will mobilize 60 million euros for humanitarian aid projects in Syria, where the “situation of the population is catastrophic” after nearly 14 years of civil war.
Schulze confirmed this endowment in statements to the RND media conglomerate published this Monday in which he clarified that the projects will be carried out exclusively through United Nations agencies and NGOs, and not with the Syrian authorities.
Thus, 25 million euros will go to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), which will focus on the rehabilitation of schools and the provision of psychosocial support to traumatized children, while the United Nations Development Program (UNDP ) will receive 19 million euros for employment programs.
On the other hand, six million euros will be allocated to support a project by the humanitarian organization Arche Nova, which manages schools for some 3,000 children and young people.
Syrian associations and NGOs will receive up to seven million euros for projects that include “reconciliation” between different population groups and communities, although the minister wants to mobilize another three million euros for a special UN fund that supports Syrian women’s organizations.
Schulze stressed that, although more than a decade has left much of the country in ruins, “the opportunity for positive development is there and now we must support it as best we can.”
“We have clearly formulated our expectations: an educational system free of ideologies, discrimination and exclusion. If developments go in the right direction, we are prepared to do more in other areas as well,” he noted.
The funding comes from Germany’s 2024 budget, which allocates a total of €132 million to Syria-related projects.
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