Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen of the media. Salaam aleikum.

I am pleased to be joined by His Excellency Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, First Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Kuwait.

Allow me to once again commend the leadership of His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the Amir of Kuwait. This Humanitarian Pledging Conference simply would not have been possible without his commitment and generosity.

Ladies and gentlemen,

This is yet another example of the vital, life-saving leadership that Kuwait has [shown] to help those in dire need around the world.

The people of Kuwait should be very proud of that compassionate example that the Amir of Kuwait has set for other countries and for the enormous good that Kuwait has done for Syrians who are suffering through no fault of their own.

While I express my deep anger against Syrian leaders who have been abandoning their own people – what we have to do as citizens of international community, we have to help those helpless Syrian people who are suffering, who are dying, every day. We need to provide life-saving support to them. In that regard, I am deeply grateful again to His Highness, the Amir, and for the leadership of the Kuwaiti government and people.

Ladies and gentlemen,

A relentless, ruthless war is destroying Syria. The violence has left so many Syrians without homes, without schools, without hospitals, and without hope.

Today, the international community stepped forward in an unprecedented show of solidarity to ease their plight.

Member States of the United Nations, regional organisations and international partners have pledged $3.8 billion dollars in support of the Syria Strategic Response Plan and the Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan.

With these resources, humanitarian agencies and their partners will be able to reach more people inside the country. And I really thank you very much.

These pledges will also help neighbouring countries overcome the strain of hosting refugees, a strain that has taken a heavy toll on infrastructure and economies.

We know the kind of commitments made today will make a profound difference.

Contributions last year allowed humanitarian organizations to provide food to over 5 million people every month; enabled millions to access clean water; permitted more than 16.5 million medical treatments; and helped more than 2 million children to attend school inside Syria.

I want to once again thank all donors for their pledges.

But I want to repeat: the best humanitarian solution to end the suffering is a political solution to end the war.

It is time to forge an inclusive, Syrian-led political transition based on the Geneva Communique and which meets the aspirations of the Syrian people.

The United Nations will continue to spare no effort to find such a solution.

Once again, I thank you for your generosity and commitment.

Thank you. Shukran jazeelan.