Representatives of 55 countries and 22 organizations pledged billions in aid to those affected by the civil war in Syria at a donor conference on Tuesday.

The EU Commission alone promised two and a half billion euros, one billion of which will be in addition to the already promised 560 million euros for this year and the same amount, 1.56 billion euros, for the coming year.

Germany pledged aid of 1.053 billion euros.

The money is intended to benefit people in Syria and refugees in neighboring countries.

Thomas Gutschker

Political correspondent for the European Union, NATO and the Benelux countries based in Brussels.

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The conference organized by the EU was accompanied by reminders not to forget the fate of the Syrians in the face of the Ukraine war.

"It is time to ensure that Syria and the Palestinian refugees do not become the new forgotten conflict," said UN Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini.

EU Neighborhood Commissioner Olivér Várhelyi pointed out that the Russian attack had further aggravated the already dire humanitarian situation in Syria and the region.

The reason for this is, among other things, increased prices for food and raw materials.

97 percent of the Syrian population lives below the poverty line

Russia was not invited to the conference.

The prerequisite for this would be a "genuine interest in creating peace in the world," said EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.

He ruled out recognizing Bashar al-Assad's regime.

Now is "not the time to normalize relations with the Syrian regime," Borrell said.

He demanded that those responsible for the "horrific crimes" of the 11-year war be held accountable.

Last year, the donor community made commitments totaling 5.3 billion euros.

Of this, 3.7 billion were earmarked for 2021 and 1.5 billion for 2022.

Two-thirds of the amount was raised by the EU Commission and the EU states.

Ahead of this year's conference, EU officials expressed the expectation that "non-traditional donors" such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, all of which have vested interests in Syria, would become more involved in humanitarian aid.

According to EU figures, 97 percent of the Syrian population live below the poverty line, and 80 percent do not have a secure food supply.

The situation was exacerbated by an extreme drought last year, which led to crop failures.

14.6 million people in Syria are now dependent on assistance, 1.2 million more than last year.

6.9 million people are internally displaced.

Another 5.6 million people have fled to neighboring countries, 3.7 million of them to Turkey alone.

These refugees will be supported through a separate fund that is not part of Tuesday's pledges.

In Syria, the EU is working with forty partner organizations to help those in need.

This includes cash payments, food, housing, health care, water supply and tuition.

According to the United Nations, restricted access for aid transports into the country remains a permanent problem.

From the original four access points, only one is still open in the northwest.

Around a thousand trucks cross the border from Turkey every month to supply 2.8 million people in areas not controlled by the Assad regime.

Aid organizations also point out the ongoing high risk to their employees.

Since the beginning of the conflict in 2011, there have been 534 proven attacks on helpers, and 283 people have lost their lives.

However, the actual number of deaths is in the thousands, according to an analysis from March.