(Transcript from SBS World News Radio)
International donors have pledged nearly $4 billion (US) in aid to help the people of war-torn Syria.
The UN says that sum is around half of its target figure.
Donors at the United Nations Pledging Conference for Syria in Kuwait included the European Union, the United States, Britain, the United Arab Emirates and Norway.
Peggy Giakoumelos reports.
(Click on the audio tab above to hear the full report)
The UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, has confirmed that funds committed by international donors are well below the sum requested by the UN in its largest appeal yet for war-affected Syrians.
Announcing the pledge, Mr Ban described the ongoing need for aid as crucial.
"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."
Tuesday's meeting was attended by nearly 80 governments and dozens of aid agencies.
More than a quarter of the total came from two countries: conference host Kuwait pledged $500 million, and the United States promised the largest single commitment of $507 million.
The European Commission and EU member states pledged close to $1.2 billion, double the overall EU pledge at last year's conference.
Australia promised $20 million (AUD).
Majella Hurney is World Vision Australia's Head of Humanitarian and Emergency Affairs.
She's welcomed the pledges, but says the scale of the humanitarian crisis caused by the conflict means more is needed.
"This is a very, very dangerous conflict. More and more people are being injured, killed and subjected to brutal forms of violence each day. But there are also a huge number of people who have been forced to flee their homes as a consequence of the this crisis. There's 16 million people in need of humanitarian aid and almost four million of those have fled to neighbouring countries and essentially they face a daily struggle to survive."
Valerie Amos is the UN Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian affairs.
She says while the pledges will go some way towards easing the pain of the Syrian people, a longer-term solution needs to be found.
"What we are seeing are needs increasing, not just in Syria and neighbouring countries, but across the world. As I speak to you we're seeing a very difficult situation unfolding in Yemen. So needs are increasing and although the amount that donors are giving us is also increasing, it's not increasing at the same pace. So I would really like to thank our donors for sticking with us, but we all know that a political solution has to be found; that the violence that we are seeing on a daily basis has to come down. This is what's going to make a big difference inside Syria."
Some 200,000 people have died and nearly half Syria's population has been displaced by the turmoil that began with anti-government protests in 2011.
The UN is seeking to help millions of people inside Syria and scattered throughout the region, as well as the countries and communities struggling to host the flood of refugees.
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