A total of €7 billion were pledged by the international community at the ‘Together for the people of Türkiye and Syria’ International Donors’ Conference, co-hosted by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and by the Prime Minister of Sweden, Ulf Kristersson, for the Swedish Presidency of the Council.
More than 60 delegations from the European Union, its Member States, and partners, including the UN, international and European financial institutions such as the EIB and the EBRD, and other relevant stakeholders met in Brussels to mobilize support for the people in Türkiye and Syria after the devastating earthquakes of February 2023 and to coordinate the response in the affected areas in both countries.
The pledging session was chaired by Commissioner for Neighbourhood and Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi and Swedish Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade Johan Forssell. Commissioner for Crisis Management Janez Lenarčič gave an address on earthquakes’ impact and immediate emergency response in Türkiye and Syria.
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said: “Is a very good day for international solidarity. Together with our partners, we have raised €7 billion in total to support the people in Türkiye and Syria, following the devastating earthquakes. More than half of this pledge comes from Team Europe. We have shown to the world that we are supporting those in need. And we always stand by our partners.”
Prime Minister of Sweden, Ulf Kristersson said: ”Today’s meeting had one important goal: to turn our words of condolences and solidarity into action. And provide a strong, efficient, and coordinated response to help the people affected by the devastating earthquakes. For the Swedish EU Presidency, we are grateful for the good cooperation with the Commission in arranging the conference, and very impressed by the substantial results today, and humbled by the important work ahead of us.”
The total pledge of this International Donors’ conference amounts to €7 billion, of which €6.05 billion in grants and loans for Türkiye and €950 million in grants for Syria. The European Commission and the EU Member States, as well as the European Investment Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, represent more than 50% of this total pledge of grants, with €3.6 billion.
The funds for Türkiye will be used to cover humanitarian needs and help with the reconstruction of the affected regions. The preliminary damage assessment in Türkiye demonstrates very large needs above USD 100 billion with a lot of damage to public infrastructure and residential buildings. The reconstruction efforts will ensure that all international standards for construction in seismic regions are taken into account and also the priorities of the Turkish Green Deal. The funds for Syria will be used to help meet humanitarian needs and support early recovery and resilience.