Following reports that the UK Government has pledged at least £205m of UK aid to Syria this year, announced by the Foreign Secretary at the Brussels Pledging Conference, Save the Children is issuing the following statement. Interviews available on request.
Kevin Watkins, CEO of Save the Children UK, said:
“The announced cut in UK aid to Syria is smaller than we had feared, but still disastrous for Syria’s children. It is encouraging that the Government has listened to those who have warned against the devastating consequences of abandoning the Syrian people as they enter an eleventh year of bloody civil war, with over 13 million people reliant on humanitarian assistance.
“However, this announcement does mean that the UK will have halved its support to Syria since 2019. The reduction will have a catastrophic impact. It could mean nearly half a million children missing out on education, and more than a hundred thousand mothers and children going hungry. And this is just the tip of the iceberg. Ultimately, lives could be lost because of this Government’s decision to step back at a time when Syrians desperately need us to step up.
“This cut is yet another reminder of the catastrophic consequences of the Government’s decision to break its promise to maintain the aid budget at 0.7 percent of national income and they must urgently rethink this approach.”
ENDS
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