The Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Dr. Yousef A. Al-Othaimeen urged the international community to exert more efforts in the humanitarian field by providing urgent funding for humanitarian assistance to Syrian IDPs and refugees and thus bridge the funding gap for Syrian humanitarian needs.

In his address to the third Conference on Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region held on 13-14 March 2019 in Brussels, the Secretary General stated that the Syrian crisis, which entered its eighth year, has triggered one of the worst humanitarian disasters in the world. The crisis claimed the lives of about half a million people since March 2011, and left 13 million people in dire need of humanitarian assistance, including 8 million children. It also led to the displacement of over 11 million people in terrible conditions.

In the same vein, the Secretary General commended the OIC Member States that have borne the burden of hosting Syrian refugees, and other countries that contributed to alleviating the suffering of the Syrian people by making generous financial contributions, particularly the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.

Al-Othaimeen stated that the OIC reaffirms the importance of supporting the Geneva process in order to reach a political solution that would contribute to building a new Syrian state based on a democratic, pluralistic civil system established on the principles of respect for human rights and the rule of law.

The Secretary General expressed the hope that the Conference would conclude with outcomes that would unify the efforts of the international community in a practical and effective way towards alleviating the impact of the Syrian crisis by contributing to the political peace process led by the United Nations.