Donor nations pledge $10bn in vital aid

Donor nations meeting in London have pledged more than $10bn to help Syrians affected by the five-year conflict, UK Prime Minister David Cameron announced.

He said the money (£6.8bn) would provide millions in Syria with "life-saving" food, medical care and shelter, the BBC News reported.

More jobs and schooling would be provided for refugees in neighboring countries, he said.

The gathering has been overshadowed by the suspension of peace talks in Geneva and intense fighting on the ground.

A Syrian government offensive, backed by Russian air strikes, is continuing north of Aleppo.

Cameron said at the end of the day-long conference that $6bn had been pledged for 2016 alone, and a further $5bn over the coming years until 2020.

He said Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon - which are housing most of the 4.6 million refugees - had also pledged to ensure all refugee children will have access to education.

"The international union is backing them with the resources which will allow them to ensure there is no lost generation," he said, adding that one million children currently not in school would have access to education by the end of the next school year.

The neighboring countries had also, he said, made a "courageous commitment" to open their economies to provide more jobs - helped by $40bn of loans and the opening of European markets that would create one million new jobs in the region.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon hailed the gathering of 60 countries as a "great success".

The UK pledged an extra $1.7bn until 2020, Germany committed to $2.6bn until 2018, France said it would give $1bn and the US pledged an extra $925m for 2016.

Source: MENA