UN to launch humanitarian plans for Syria crisis response

The United Nations will launch funding appeals for the Syria crisis at an event to be held late next week organised by the German government in Berlin, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric announced here Friday.

The Syria Strategic Response Plan 2015 to be launched Dec 18 by Valerie Amos, the (UN) under-secretary-general for humanitarian affairs, covers the humanitarian response inside Syria, Xinhua quoted Dujarric as saying at a daily news briefing.

"The Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan for 2015-2016, covering support to refugees from Syria and host communities in Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan, Iraq and Egypt, will be jointly launched by the (UN) high commissioner for refugees (UNHCR), Antonio Guterres, and Gina Casar, the UN under-secretary-general and associate administrator of the UN Development Program (UNDP)," Dujarric added.

The conflict in Syria, which broke out in March 2011, has left over 150,000 people dead, and over 680,000 injured. At least 10.8 million people are in need of assistance inside Syria, including some 6.5 million who are internally displaced.

The violence has also spawned a refugee crisis in neighbouring countries, including Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey.