| Date: 11/05/2012 Time: 09:38:00 AM |
The United States is pursuing "every avenue"
to get humanitarian relief to those affected by the violence in Syria, and is
engaged in focused diplomatic efforts to secure full and unfettered access for
humanitarian organizations to reach those in need, the U.S. State Department
said late on Thursday.
To help meet the growing humanitarian need, the United States is providing
an additional 6.5 million dollars in humanitarian assistance to support the
people of Syria, bringing the total amount of U.S. emergency aid being
provided to date to nearly 40 million for the crisis, the statement said.
"Our assistance is providing food, clean water, basic health care, and
medical and other emergency relief supplies to help those in need in Syria and
in neighboring countries," it said.
To date, the United States has provided, in dollars, 16.5 million to the
World Food Program; 8.5 million to the United Nations High Commissioner for
Refugees; 7.8 million to non-governmental organizations; 3 million to the
United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near
East; 3 million to the International Committee of the Red Cross; and 500,000
to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
"We recognize the generosity of the governments of Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey
and Iraq, who have kept their borders open and are hosting and providing
assistance to those fleeing the violence in Syria," the statement said. "We
commend the efforts of the United Nations, and the international organizations
and non-governmental organizations, to ease the trauma that the conflict in
Syria has inflicted on those fleeing the violence." |