EU, UN, donor states seek aid boost at 7th annual conference on Syria

The EU and UN on Tuesday began a two-day push to drum up fresh aid pledges for Syria and reinvigorate the faltering Geneva peace process, AFP reports. Donor countries, aid organizations and UN agencies are gathering in Brussels for the seventh annual conference on Syria’s future as the conflict in the country enters its eighth year. EU officials hope to beat the $6 billion pledged at last year’s gathering. The UN has warned that its own appeal for money for humanitarian work in Syria this year is less than a quarter funded, receiving less than $800 million of the $3.5 billion needed.