15 March 2021 marked the 10th year of the Syria crisis. A decade lost, which has seen hundreds of thousands killed and millions displaced.

For most Syrians, the past 10 years have been the hardest of their lives, characterised by countless violations of international humanitarian law and human rights by all parties, which have caused enormous suffering and huge humanitarian needs both inside Syria and across the region.

The fifth Brussels Conference on ‘Supporting the future of Syria and the region’ takes place on 29 – 30 March. This occasion  must be seized to send a strong message of hope and brotherhood to the Syrian people. Syrians, and especially Syria’s youngest generation, cannot afford more years of war and they deserve a better future.

Caritas Europa, Caritas MONA and Caritas Internationalis co-signed a joint policy paper asking the international community to put the interests and safety of the Syrian people first in a true spirit of fraternity and solidarity and to:

  1. redouble efforts to find immediate peaceful negotiated solution to the conflict;
  2. put human rights and protection of civilians at the heart of their efforts and ensure voluntary, dignified, informed and safe return of Syrian refugees, according to international standards;
  3. provide increased support for both multi-year flexible funding and capacity-building to local NGOs/FBOs, in line with the Grand Bargain commitments on localisation;
  4. remove all those sanctions that prevent the Syrian population from accessing basic needs and services, essential health supplies, including COVID-19 vaccines and treatments, and support NGOs to build trustful relationships with the banking system to address over-compliance challenges.