Australia to give an additional 18 mln USD in aid to Syria: FM

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop announced on Thursday the country will contribute a further 18 million U.S dollars in humanitarian aid for Iraq and Syria in coming months.

The aid will be distributed between the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, UN Children's Fund, World Food Program and Australian NGOs working in the region.

Bishop said the government and the opposition felt compelled to assist those suffering through the "world's worst" humanitarian crisis.

"Australia's assistance will help Syrian refugees and their host communities in the region access vital resources such as food, shelter and protection," she said in a statement on Thursday.

"This increased contribution will support civilians affected by the world's worst humanitarian crisis."

She said in Syria, 13.5 million people require urgent humanitarian assistance. A further 4.6 million Syrians are refugees in neighboring countries. An estimated 10 million people in Iraq also require urgent humanitarian support this year.

"In addition to this increased humanitarian funding, the Australian government will also deploy 10 Australian Civilian Corps specialists to Lebanon and Jordan to assist UN and NGO partners deliver education, water, sanitation, camp infrastructure, logistics and protection to Syrian refugees."

Bishop said a small proportion of the aid money would be given to the United Nations agencies in Iraq, as they continue to help communities destroyed by Islamic State.

The Australian government will also provide an additional 3.5 million U.S dollars for Iraq, including 1.4 million U.S dollars to the United Nations Development Program to help stabilize areas of the country liberated from IS. Enditem