The European Union hosted the "Brussels VI Conference on Supporting the future of Syria and the region" on Tuesday to collect donations for the Syrian refugees and the countries hosting them.
"Despite a war at our doorstep, the European Union does not forget other conflicts," the EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a statement ahead of the Brussels conference, referring to the war in Ukraine.
"Millions of people inside Syria and in the region depend every day on humanitarian assistance," Borrell said.
More than 13 million people either fled Syria or were internally displaced since the beginning of the conflict in 2011, according to United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
Some 5.6 million Syrians have found refuge in neighboring and nearby countries, the UNHCR reports, with many living in poverty.
The conference is the 10th annual donor conference for Syrians since 2013. After conferences in Kuwait and London, Brussels has been hosting the events since 2017.
Last year’s conference raised €5.3 billion ($5.6 billion), of which €3.7 billion came from the European Commission and EU member states.
Since the beginning of the war in 2011, the EU and its member states have donated €27.4 billion for humanitarian assistance to Syria and the region, according to the commission.
Over 13 million displaced Syrians face challenges, as some hosting countries call for their return to an unsafe Syria, Haya Atassi, the media manager of the Syrian Association for Citizens’ Dignity said.
"Most of these calls and initiatives are based on ill-conceived ideas or directly promoted by domestic political agendas. They are all leading to one inevitable type of ad-hoc and unsustainable solutions that will cause displaced Syrians further suffering and despair ..." she said, adding that the participants of the conference should keep this in mind when proposing future solutions. She continued by noting that the focus of the conference should be on seeking long-term sustainable and comprehensive solutions.
"The reality in Syria is such that despite the dire conditions Syrians are suffering in displacement, whether internally or in some of the host countries, they are still unwilling to return except for small numbers of those who are forced to do so for various reasons," Attaya said, adding that this is caused by the fact that the issues behind their displacements still exist.
"Our message to key stakeholders and host states is clear: Nowhere in Syria is safe to return. We emphasize the danger of misleading Syrians about the existence of a safe environment in Syria already, or moving toward some ad-hoc solutions that would only reinforce further demographic change in the country," she added.