EU Pledges $650 Million at Syria Aid Conference
Voice of America
PARIS - The European Union has pledged more than $650 million in humanitarian aid for Syrians during a Brussels pledging conference co-hosted by the United Nations, as aid officials warn of escalating needs inside and outside the war-torn country.
This is the fifth humanitarian pledging conference for Syrians since their country plunged into a brutal and ongoing civil war a decade ago. Instead of getting better, the U.N.'s relief chief, Mark Lowcock, said their humanitarian situation is getting worse. "There's less violence, but there's more suffering," he said. "And that is because of the economic consequences primarily that have been wrought on Syria. There is an increase in the number of people who are in need of humanitarian assistance, and the scale and severity of their needs is also higher than it's ever been." Lowcock said the U.N. is matching the soaring needs with its biggest-ever response plan.
Local officials and navy personnel attend a joint Iranian, Russian and Chinese military drill in the Gulf of Oman, Iran, on March 12, 2025. (Iranian Army Office via AFP) Chinese navy troops attending a joint naval drill with Iran and Russia stand on the deck of their warship in an official arrival ceremony at Shahid Beheshti port in Chabahar in the Gulf of Oman, Iran, on March 11, 2025.

India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi waves as he arrives for Mauritius' 57th National Day celebrations at the Champ De Mars, Port Louis, Mauritius, March 12, 2025. India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, left, and his Mauritius counterpart Navin Ramgoolam pay homage after laying a wreath at the Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam Botanical Garden during his State visit, in Pamplemousses, Mauritius, March 11, 2025. FILE - Sailors walk on the deck of the INS Imphal, a stealth guided-missile destroyer, at the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai, Dec. 22, 2023.

Police officers guard the Palace of the Republic after Bosnian prosecutors ordered the detention of three top Bosnian Serb officials over a series of separatist actions, in the Bosnian town of Banja Luka, 240 kms northwest of Sarajevo, March 12, 2025. FILE - Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik speaks during an interview with the Associated Press, in the Bosnian town of Banja Luka, 240 kms northwest of Sarajevo, Dec. 29, 2023.