Syria – Humanitarian assistance - Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne’s participation in the Brussels II conference

Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne, Minister of State attached to the Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, will take part in the Brussels II conference on the future of Syria and the region.

This conference will be chaired by the EU and the UN and follows on from the conferences in London (February 4, 2016) and Brussels (April 5, 2017). It will reaffirm the international community’s support for a political solution to the Syrian conflict and will aim to strengthen the international response to the humanitarian consequences of the crisis and support for the refugees and host countries.

The humanitarian situation in Syria remains tragic. 13.1 million Syrians, including 6 million children are in need of humanitarian assistance. More than half the Syrian population has been forced to leave their homes: 6.1 million have been internally displaced and 5.6 million are refugees in neighboring countries (Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, Egypt). The delivery of humanitarian assistance continues to be subject to unacceptable blockades, notably on the part of the regime.

The humanitarian situation in Syria is a priority for France. Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne will reaffirm France’s support for the Syrian people and Syria’s neighboring countries. He will reaffirm our commitment to providing €200 million in grants to Syria and its neighboring countries for the period 2016-2018. The aim is to support the host countries, help the Syrian population and establish conditions in Syria conducive to the voluntary, safe and sustainable return of the refugees. This commitment is supplemented by the €50 million emergency response program for Syria announced on April 16 by President Macron. Lastly, Jean-Baptiste Lemoyne will announce the French contribution for the three-year period 2019-2021.

Moreover, Brussels II is the third ministerial conference in support of the Lebanese state and its institutions announced for 2018 by President Macron during the meeting of the International Support Group for Lebanon on December 8, 2017. It follows on from the Rome II conferences on the security aspects and the CEDRE conference in Paris on the economic aspects. During the first conference, France opened a €400 million line of credit for the purchase of French military equipment. During the second conference it pledged to provide €550 million in grants and concessional loans. Thanks to the CEDRE conference, Lebanon will benefit from a leverage effect amounting in total to 11 billion in grants and loans, which will enable it to upgrade its infrastructure and bolster its economic resilience.