BREAKING: UK pledges £50m in aid for Syrian refugees

The British government said it will release 50 million pounds ($63 million) of humanitarian aid for “the most vulnerable” Syrians in Syria and in neighbouring Lebanon and Jordan, the foreign ministry said Sunday.

“We’re committed to supporting the Syrian people as they chart a new course,” Foreign Minister David Lammy said in a statement.

The funds, which for the most part will be sent to UN agencies, “will enable an urgent scale-up of humanitarian assistance when needs are at their highest, and support delivery of essential public services in Syria.”

Lammy said Britain will also work “diplomatically to help secure better governance in Syria’s future”, adding that “it is vital that the future Syrian government brings together all groups to establish the stability and respect the Syrian people deserve.”

Separately, Britain said it would give 120,000 pounds to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons for its work in Syria.

AFP