Does the European Union earthquake support the donors’ conference to help Syria? – DW – 03/19/2023

It has been more than a month since two massive earthquakes rocked Turkey and northern Syria, killing more than 50,000 people and displacing millions.

Since then, countries around the world have rushed to express their solidarity and offer aid to support people in both countries.

The European Commission is due to host a donor conference on Monday in Brussels to provide more support to people affected by the earthquakes.

The European Union has allocated 5.5 million euros ($5.85 million) in humanitarian aid to Turkey and mobilized 10 million euros to provide rapid relief to earthquake victims in Syria.

But the support for Syria has been slow compared to the aid sent to Turkey.

Nongovernmental organizations, rights groups, and humanitarian researchers focusing on Syria have asked whether donor conferences will ensure that there are no impediments to the delivery of humanitarian aid in the future.

‘Aid did not come’

When the February 6 earthquake struck, more than 4 million people living in northern Syria – most of them Syrians displaced from other parts of the country during the long civil war – were already dependent on humanitarian aid.

But the area is controlled by groups opposed to the Syrian government, and getting any aid to help people in this part of the country is a challenge with President Bashar al-Assad insisting that all humanitarian aid must pass through Damascus.

In mid-2014, the UN Security Council signed a mandate stating that UN humanitarian agencies and partners can use four border crossings – two through Turkey and one through Jordan and Iraq – to deliver aid across the country.

But with Russia’s increased support for the Assad government, this UN mandate has become a political issue, and every six months a vote takes place in the UN Security Council to decide whether border crossings should be opened.

In the aftermath of the earthquake, this began a diplomatic spat over cross-border aid deliveries, delaying international support, Suhail al-Ghazi, an independent researcher on Syria, told DW.

“When the earthquake struck southern Turkey, the roads leading to the Bab al-Hawa crossing were damaged, and it was difficult to reach northwestern Syria immediately,” al-Ghazi said. “But the crossing was never closed, and the Turkish government quickly repaired the damaged roads. However, aid never arrived.”

He added that while another border crossing was open, the fact that it was not included in the UN resolution meant it could not be used for aid deliveries.

“Earthquake relief finally came about four to six days after the earthquake struck. But it was not enough to support those in need in northwest Syria. The EU, US and UK should have done more to send aid independently rather than blamed on UN mandate.

European Union aid for earthquake survivors arrives in Syria

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According to an EU official, the bloc began assisting those affected by the earthquake in Syria since the day the earthquake occurred, through its existing humanitarian partners who were working on the ground a few hours after the disaster.

“We have immediately mobilized around 10 million euros for humanitarian aid to cover the most urgent needs. Humanitarian assistance from the EU is always based on needs, not on political, religious or any other affiliations,” the official told DW.

Within the framework of the humanitarian response capacity of the cluster, the official explained that a total of 225 tons of aid has been divided, of which 125 tons are to opposition-held areas and 100 tons to government-controlled areas. Six flights delivered aid, four to opposition-held areas via Turkey, and the other two to government-held areas.

“Through our center in Gaziantep, tons of aid (tents, generators, heaters and food) were delivered to our partner, the International Organization for Migration, which delivered the aid to the northwest where it is distributed to those in need. Aid that is delivered through Beirut is delivered to The World Food Program and the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement who then distribute the aid directly to those in need in government-controlled areas.”

“No EU aid has been provided to the Syrian government.”

But al-Ghazi criticized this response, describing it as laziness.

“All this aid is great, but most of it came through flights that landed in Damascus. More than 300 flights from European countries came to Damascus. But that wasn’t necessary because the situation was fragile in the northwest of the country. So it could have landed.” Flights. In the Turkish province of Hatay and reached the northwest faster. Passing through Damascus means more aid ends up in the hands of the Syrian regime.”

Criticism looms over the delay in the arrival of humanitarian aid to Syria. Photo: Syrian Arab Red Crescent/Mansour/Reuters

NGOs on the ground have increased their assistance by pooling existing resources.

Samah Hadid, head of Middle East advocacy at the Norwegian Refugee Council, told DW.

She added that the delay in providing financial support to those in need is nothing new.

“We feel a lot of fatigue around the Syrian crisis, and while governments focus on providing humanitarian aid, there is not enough funding for long-term recovery and rehabilitation. For NGOs to continue providing assistance on the ground, we need more money,” Hadid said.

Although the conference is likely to encourage more big money pledges and more messages of solidarity, Hadid fears earthquake relief funding will come at the expense of other humanitarian appeals.

“What we need to see from donors right now is additional and new funding and maintaining support for other humanitarian needs,” she said. “Otherwise, we will see these multiple crises continue to grow in Syria.”

Al-Ghazi said that international institutions should do more to work on a mechanism to provide aid in the northwest and not just accept Russia and China’s veto power in the UN Security Council every six months.

He said, “Introducing the aid monitoring mechanism to ensure that aid delivery by the United Nations, foreign countries and international NGOs is done in a neutral manner and does not go into the hands of the regime or other human rights violators will be beneficial.”

An official at the European Commission told DW that to date, there are reporting requirements for humanitarian partners who implement EU-funded projects and these projects are vetted by Commission members at least once.

Earthquake survivors face lasting trauma

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As the civil war enters its 13th year, al-Ghazi said talks and conferences on Syria should extend beyond aid and focus more on policies and actions.

“Europe and the West are united when it comes to confronting Russia in Ukraine. But when it comes to Russia and China in northwestern Syria, the West seems to be holding back and not doing anything. They have become weaker in taking a stand and they don’t seem to have a unified policy, which is wrong.”

“It is time for the European Union to talk about political solutions to help Syria. This is what will start to solve the problem when it comes to helping the country, instead of hiding behind Turkey and Russia to make these big political decisions,” Al-Ghazi said.

Edited by: Milan Gagnon / Rob Mudge

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