The President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the Prime Minister of Sweden, Ulf Kristersson, have announced their intention to host a Donors’ Conference, in coordination with the Turkish authorities, to mobilise funds from the international community in support for the people of Türkiye and Syria following this week’s devastating earthquake. The event would be hosted in March in Brussels.

The Donors’ Conference will help mobilise the international community to deal with the aftermath of this week’s devastating earthquakes. The objective of the high-level Conference, which will be open to EU Member States, neighbouring countries, UN members, international financial institutions and other relevant stakeholders, is to coordinate the donors’ response and raise resources in support of the early recovery and relief in the affected areas of Türkiye and Syria. The conference will be chaired jointly by Commissioner in charge of Neighbourhood and Enlargement Negotiations, Olivér Várhelyi, and the Swedish Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade, Johan Forssell.

“We are all shaken by the devastating effects of the earthquakes that have hit Türkiye and Syria this week. The priority now is to work around the clock to save as many lives as possible as many people are still trapped under the rubble, in buildings. For this, the EU’s Civil Protection Mechanism was immediately activated and has sent by now 31 search and rescue teams and 5 medical teams from 23 countries. But we are already sending now a message to the people of Türkiye and Syria: the EU will support your communities. Because no one should be left alone when a tragedy like this hits a people”, said President von der Leyen, announcing the Donors’ Conference following a call with Swedish Prime Minister Kristersson.