Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja will participate in the Conference on the Syrian Refugee Situation to take place in Berlin

Press Release 238/2014
27 October 2014

Foreign Minister Erkki Tuomioja will participate in the ministerial level Conference on the Syrian Refugee Situation being held in Berlin on Tuesday, 28 October The conference is chaired by German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier together with Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Gerd Müller and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres.

The aim of the conference is to show solidarity and support for the Syrian refugees and their host countries, and to consider ways to support refugee host countries.

The Syrian crisis is the largest ongoing humanitarian assistance mission in the world. The conflict has continued for more than three years. More than half of Syria’s population of 21 million is in need of humanitarian assistance. Half of those in need of assistance are children. More than six million have been displaced internally within Syria and three million have been forced to seek refuge, mainly in the neighbouring countries of Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan and Iraq.

Finland has granted a total of EUR 31 million in humanitarian assistance for the Syrian crisis. Finland’s humanitarian assistance for the Syrian crisis this year will rise to over EUR 11 million. In addition, Finland supports the neighbouring countries receiving Syrian refugees (the greatest support going to Lebanon) through development cooperation funds and the Syrian reconstruction fund in total by about EUR 12 million in 2014.

Additional information: Kirsikka Lehto-Asikainen, Head of the Unit for the Middle East and North Africa, tel. +358 295 351 851; Katja Kalamäki, Diplomatic Adviser to the Foreign Minister, mobile tel. +358 40 590 7973; Fixed-term Assistant Jukka Halkilahti, Unit for the Middle East and North Africa, tel. +358 295 350 563