UAE raises $A32m for Syria refugees

A weekend telethon in the UAE has raised nearly $A32 million for Syrian refugees.

A Syrian internally displaced child holding a balloon is reflected in a puddle of water in the Bab al-Hawa camp along the Turkish border in the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib, earlier this year. (AAP)

An Emirati campaign to raise funds for Syrian refugees faced with harsh winter conditions in camps in neighbouring states has raised almost $US28 million ($A32 million), the Red Crescent announced Saturday.

Red Crescent chief Mohammed Atiq, quoted by state news agency WAM, said a Friday-Saturday telethon organised by local television collected 102 million dirhams ($A31.5 million).

The United Nations on Monday appealed for a record $US12.9 billion in global emergency aid, half of which is for victims of Syria's war, which has displaced millions both within the country and across its borders.

The oil-rich UAE, like its Gulf neighbours, has come out in support of the opposition battling to oust Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.