Finland PM makes strong appeal for aid for Syria
Finland's prime minister has made a strong global appeal for help for those affected by the "devastating" war in Syria, warning that it has resulted in millions of refugees and displaced, causing "population movements of great magnitude not seen since" World War II.
Juha Sipila spoke at the opening of a Syria aid conference in Finland's capital, Helsinki, on Tuesday.
He says that after six years of the conflict, the humanitarian crisis is Syria "is worse than ever before," with 13.5 million people needing assistance.
The conference coincides with Syrian peace talks in Kazakhstan and is aimed at providing humanitarian priorities for Syria in 2017 and launching a regional refugee plan. It is being attended by U.N. organizations, aid agencies, government representatives from Syria's neighboring countries and donors from civil societies and the private sector.
