EU’s donors’ conference for Türkiye, Syria postponed to March 20

BRUSSELS/ANKARA

The European Union has announced that a donors’ conference for Türkiye and Syria after devastating earthquakes will take place on March 20 instead of March 16 in Brussels.

“The EU and its member states intend to make a significant pledge for further relief, recovery, and reconstruction in Türkiye and further relief, recovery, and rehabilitation in Syria. The EU calls on other international partners and global donors to show solidarity with the people in Türkiye and Syria in these difficult circumstances by mobilizing pledges in line with the scale and magnitude of the damage,” a statement by the EU said on March 10.

“Therefore, on March 20 in Brussels, the European Commission and the Swedish Presidency of the Council of the EU will host an international donors’ conference to support the people in Türkiye and Syria affected by the recent devastating earthquakes,” it added.

The conference was first announced to take place on March 16 but it was postponed to March 20 as the previous date coincides with the Turkish State Summit to take place in Ankara and the Organization of Islamic Conference in Mogadishu.

Co-hosted by the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and by the prime minister of Sweden, Ulf Kristersson, for the Swedish Presidency of the Council, and organized in coordination with the Turkish authorities, the Donors’ Conference will be open to EU member states, candidate countries and potential candidates, neighboring and partner countries, G20 members – except for Russia – member states of the Gulf Cooperation, as well as the U.N., international organizations, humanitarian actors and international and European financial institutions.

“Just six weeks after the devastating earthquakes in Türkiye and Syria, we come together to support the survivors of this tragedy. Our solidarity will continue to be as strong as it was in the first hours after the earthquake. We promise to the people of Türkiye and Syria that we are with them for the long run,” Leyen said in a statement.

“I invite all nations and all donors, public and private, to contribute and honour the memory of the lives lost, the heroism of the first responders and most importantly to build together a better future for the survivors,” she added.