Together for the people in Türkiye and Syria – Swedish Donors’ Conference

On 6 February 2023, a 7.8 magnitude earthquake, followed by two devastating tremors, struck Türkiye and Syria, causing widespread destruction, and killing tens of thousands of people.

To help mobilise support from the international community in dealing with the devastating aftermath, President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and Prime Minister of Sweden, Ulf Kristersson, as the Presidency of the Council of the EU, will jointly host a Donors’ Conference on 20 March 2023 in Brussels.

The aim of the Donors’ Conference is to raise funds and coordinate the relief response in the areas affected in both countries. The conference will be organised in coordination with Turkish authorities.

Participants

The Conference will be open to all EU Member States, to neighbouring countries, the UN, international financial institutions, and other relevant stakeholders that wish to contribute and to support the relief efforts. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is currently preparing a post-disaster needs assessment to inform the donors ahead of the conference about the reconstruction and rehabilitation needs.

The Commissioner in charge of Neighbourhood and Enlargement, Olivér Várhelyi, and the Swedish Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade, Johan Forssell will jointly chair the Conference.