1. A delegation of the Republic of Korea government, led by Deputy Minister for Multilateral and Global Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Kang Jeong-sik, attended the Third Brussels Conference on Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region, held in Brussels, the Kingdom of Belgium, on March 14, and announced the ROK government’s plan to provide humanitarian assistance worth US$12 million to the Syrian Arab Republic and its neighboring countries.

2. The Conference, an international meeting to help resolve the situation in Syria, marked the seventh of its kind, and the third since it was renamed to the Brussels Conference on Supporting Syria and the Region in 2017. The European Union (EU) and the United Nations (UN) co-chaired the third Conference, as they did last year.

3. At the third Conference, participating countries reviewed the progress in implementing the commitments made at the second Brussels Conference last year, and reaffirmed that they were united in their determination to work together to tackle the humanitarian crisis in Syria, which has not yet been solved completely even after nine years.

4. Deputy Minister for Multilateral and Global Affairs Kang Jeong-sik said that the ROK government had provided more than US$63 million to Syria, as well as the Republic of Turkey, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, and the Lebanese Republic, which are shouldering the burden of accommodating Syrian refugees, and announced that the ROK government will contribute additional humanitarian assistance worth US$12 million this year.

o The Deputy Minister also stressed that to fundamentally resolve the situation in Syria, finding a political solution led by Syrians is more important than anything else, and said that the ROK would fully support compliance with ceasefire agreements by parties to the conflict to facilitate it, and the UN’s mediation efforts.

5. The Conference brought together delegates from 57 countries, and 23 international and regional organizations, including EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, and UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen. At the Conference, the participants pledged US$7 billion this year and US$2.37 billion in 2020 and beyond for Syria and neighboring countries.

6. It is the ROK government’s firm position that as a responsible member of the international community, it will continue to join efforts to resolve humanitarian crises around the world. This year, the ROK government will continue its support in response to not only the situation in Syria, but also other humanitarian crises in the Republic of Yemen, the Republic of Iraq, and other Middle Eastern countries. In doing so, the government will especially focus on supporting vulnerable groups, including children, women and refugees.

* unofficial translation