In the fifth annual conference hosted by the European Union, the UN will seek $4.2 billion for people inside Syria and $5.8 billion for refugees and their hosts in the Middle East.

“There is no respite for civilians in Syria”, said top UN emergency relief official Mark Lowcock, pointing to “10 years of despair and disaster for Syrians, plummeting living conditions, economic decline, hunger, malnutrition, and disease.

The aim of the Brussels pledging conference is to raise $10 billion.

Across Syria and in the region, 24 million are in need of humanitarian or other forms of assistance – four million more than last year – and the highest since the conflict started. (ILKHA)