Charities urge action for Syria’s children

Coalition says world leaders have failed to back up promises to rescue lost generation

Millions of Syrians have been forced to flee their country since the war began in 2011. AFP

A coalition of 21 charities has urged world leaders to focus on children at an EU fund-raising conference this week to help millions of people who have fled war in Syria.

The online conference in Brussels on June 29 and 30 will examine prospects of a lasting ceasefire, discuss a political solution and address the humanitarian need of Syrians, the EU said.

But charities warned that the conference could fail to address the needs of children and accused world leaders of failing to follow through on promises to properly educate 750,000 Syrian young refugees.

“The international community has repeatedly vowed that there would be ‘no lost generation’ of Syrian children, but with the conflict tragically heading towards a second decade, they are more vulnerable than ever,” the charities said in an open letter.

“You have a responsibility to renew your commitments to provide education for all Syrian refugee and displaced children.

"We call on you to ensure that education is not forgotten as you make your speeches and pledges on June 30, 2020.”

Leaders in 2016 pledged that all children who fled the war in Syria would be given a place in school within a year.

But the coalition – which includes global children’s charities Theirworld, Save the Children and Plan International – said that in 2020 nearly three million youngsters inside and outside Syria were still out of school.

Education has been disrupted because of the children’s traumatic journeys out of Syria, and further problems caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

More than six million people have fled Syria and 11 million need humanitarian help within Syria, the EU said.

Last year, the third Brussels Conference raised a record €6.2 billion (Dh25.56bn/$6.96bn) in pledges for 2019, and a further €2.1bn for 2020 and beyond.