President Khoja: Step Up Aid for Syrians

President Khoja discussed ways to increase and expedite the delivery of relief aid to needy households in Syria with Interim Minister of Local Administration, Relief and Refugees Hussein al-Bakri. They decided to develop an integrated plan to handle the securing and the delivery of relief aid to Syrians in cooperation with donor states and organizations whereby all aid is channeled through the Interim Government’s official arms. Bakri points out that the local councils of the Ministry keep a database and staff working on the ground to collect data and identify the needs of the internally displaced. He also said that the lack of coordination of the relief aid provided by donor states and organizations reflected negatively on the distribution of aid, leading to defects in the mechanisms of distribution. He added that the Ministry is currently completing the formation of the local councils, and also supporting the existing councils with salaries and operational costs for the members of local councils and their employees. Bakri pointed out that the Ministry and Assistance Coordination Unit (ACU) formed a joint task force to counter the winter storm that hit the region and provide heating fuel and winter clothing worth of about one million USD to Syrian refugees and the internally displaced. (Source: Syrian Coalition)