Aid for Syria

U.N. seeking major boost for country as refugees approaching 1 million

KUWAIT CITY—International aid officials are framing their latest gathering on Syria’s humanitarian crises in terms not seen in the region since the height of the Iraq war: Refugee numbers possibly swelling toward 1 million, more than double that number in need of help inside the country and political policymaking among Bashar Assad’s foes torn between the battlefield strategies and the civilian costs.

The urgency for a dramatic increase in international relief funds for Syria—seeking total pledges of $1.5 billion—will be the central message Wednesday in Kuwait from U.N. Secretary-General Ban Kimoon and other leaders such as Jordan’s King Abdullah II, whose nation is struggling with more than 320,000 refugees and more arriving every day.

The meeting also seeks to reorient some of the political calculations among Western nations and allies supporting the Syrian rebels. With the civil war nearing its two-year mark and no end in sight, U.N. officials and others are pressing governments to recognize the potential longterm humanitarian burdens and spread resources and support to both the Syrian opposition and the millions of people caught in the conflict.

“The crisis is not easing on any front,” said Jens Laerke, a spokesman for the U.N. office in charge of coordinating humanitarian affairs. “It’s relentless.”

The venue in Kuwait also highlights the increasingly high-profile role of Persian Gulf nations in Syria’s civil war.

The Gulf states, led by Qatar and Saudi Arabia, have been key backers of the political opposition against Assad and have urged for stepped up arms shipments to rebel fighters—a call that has met resistance from the U.S. and Western allies fearing that heavy weapons could reach Islamist militant factions that have joined the rebellion.

Now, the wealthy Gulf nations may come under direct calls to significantly boost contributions for U.N.-led humanitarian efforts in addition to their own pledges, including $100 million promised by Saudi Arabia in December for Syrian relief and $5 million from the United Arab Emirates this month for the refugees in Jordan.

Representatives from more than 60 nations are expected at the one-day conference, possibly including envoys from Assad’s main allies Iran and Russia. They are unlikely to be put under specific diplomatic pressures, but could face uncomfortable descriptions of civilian deaths in a nearly 2-year-old civil war that the U.N. says has claimed more than 60,000 lives.

Last week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, Turkey’s Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said Syria’s bombardment of citizens should be declared a war crime and aid groups must be given greater access to help displaced or suffering people inside the country. Relief groups, however, have struggled in Syria because of shifting front lines and risks of kidnapping or convoys commandeered. The U.N. also has pulled back some staff in Damascus as fighting intensified in the capital.