... to support the humanitarian efforts.” The bulk of the appeal – $1 billion – is to support refugees fleeing Syria to Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, Turkey and Egypt. It is based on planning estimates that up to a million Syrian refugees ... the first half of next year. Another $519 million will be needed to support an estimated four million people inside Syria who need urgent humanitarian assistance, including an estimated two million internally displaced persons. This ... than 50 per cent of the civilians affected by the crisis. At least 20,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in Syria since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began in early 2011. Recent months have witnessed an escalation ...

Middle East The Joint Special Representative of the United Nations and the League of Arab States for Syria, Lakhdar Brahimi, met with President Bashar al-Assad on Monday for further talks on the situation in the war-torn ... region and elsewhere as part of his efforts to bring about a negotiated, political solution to end to the fighting in Syria, where at least 20,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed since the uprising against President al-Assad ... based on the so-called Geneva communiqué, which was issued after a meeting in the Swiss city of the Action Group for Syria – made up of interested parties – in late June and which lays out key steps in a process to end the violence in ...

Middle East A United Nations independent panel investigating human rights violations in Syria has released a new update on the situation in the Middle Eastern nation, noting that violations continue unabated ... reiterating the need for a political solution to the conflict there. “The war of attrition that is being fought in Syria has brought immeasurable destruction and human suffering to the civilian population. As the conflict drags on, the ... which has led to their conduct increasingly being in breach of international law,” the Commission of Inquiry on Syria stated in its latest update , covering the period between 28 September to 16 December. “The sole way to bring ...

... Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF), which monitors the ceasefire in the Golan Heights between Israel and Syria, and expressed grave concern at recent violations by the Syrian Armed Forces in the mission’s area of operations. ... 1 July to 31 December, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon voiced his deep concern about the evolution of the conflict in Syria, its impact on the Syrian population and its potential implications for the entire region. “It is affecting the ... and the stability of the region,” Mr. Ban added. At least 20,000 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in Syria since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began in March 2011. The conflict, now in its 22nd month, has ...