Denmark pledges 14.30 mln USD in humanitarian aid

The Danish government has pledged to donate 95 million Danish krone (14.30 million U.S. dollars) to people in need in Syria, Yemen, and Ethiopia.

Danish Foreign Minister Kristian Jensen is set to announce the commitment at the first ever World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul on Monday.

"I'm going to the humanitarian summit to emphasize that we are stepping up our responsibilities to the global refugee crisis," Jensen said in a statement.

Jensen also called for new ways to help the 125 million people who are in need of humanitarian assistance worldwide, and the 60 million people who have fled their homes.

"We can not continue to provide short-term relief to more and more people on the run. They need long-term solutions and answers," said Jensen.

"We must become better at exploiting the resources offered in the traditional relief organizations. We must be better at involving the communities that are affected by war and armed conflicts. And we must be better at involving private companies."

Of the 95 million krone, 60 million is to go to Syria, while 25 million is earmarked for Yemen and 10 million for Ethiopia.

The funds will be channeled through the UN's Refugee Agency UNHCR, the UN Population Fund (UNFPA), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the UN World Food Programme (WFP), and a government program in Ethiopia. (1 U.S. dollar = 6.64 Danish krone) Endit