A two-day international Syria conference, organized by the United Nations and the European Union, began yesterday in the Belgian capital of Brussels.

Representatives from 85 countries and non-governmental organizations are attending the second Brussels Conference on "Supporting the Future of Syria and the region."

Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Recep Akdağ will also deliver a speech on Turkey's aid efforts in Syria during the second day of the event, which will focus on humanitarian support and the U.N.-led political peace process in Geneva.

The representatives of the Turkish Prime Ministry's Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD), Turkey Diyanet Foundation and the Turkish Red Crescent (Kızılay) are also attending the two-day conference.

Last year's conference pledged around 9 billion euros (almost $11 billion).

Since the start of the Syrian crisis in 2011, Turkey has been hosting some 3.5 million refugees, the largest Syrian refugee community in the world. The country spent some $30 billion for the needs of refugees living in tent camps as well as those living outside the camps on their own. As the conflict escalated, Turkey stepped up its advocating the establishment of safe zones within Syria, to accommodate both those who took shelter abroad as well as internally displaced Syrians.

Syria has been locked in a vicious civil war since 2011 when Syria's Bashar Assad regime cracked down on pro-democracy protests with unexpected ferocity. Since then, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed in the conflict, according to the U.N.