Donors pledge USD 6.4 billion for Syria and the region

Donor pledges for Syria and the region at a virtual conference hosted by the EU and the UN this week exceeded commitments made at a similar conference last year. This comes as a surprise since the United Kingdom, a key donor, made it known before the conference it would make substantial cuts. Total pledges amounted to USD 6.4 billion (EUR 5.3b), of which the Nordics provided USD 400 million. (Updated)