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Secretary-General's closing remarks to Pledging Conference on Syria Kuwait City, 30 January 2013 I thank the Emir of Kuwait, His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, for hosting this important event and for his generous and inspiring pledge of $300 million for the humanitarian response. Today, under the leadership of the Emir of Kuwait, the international community has come together in solidarity with the people of Syria. I am pleased to report to you that we have exceeded our target. Congratulations – this is for the Syrian people. More than $1.5 billion in additional money has been pledged from countries and regional organizations to support the Syria Humanitarian Assistance Response Plan and the Refugee Response Plan over the next six months. This is the largest response ever to a humanitarian pledging conference. And I thank you for your generous contributions. The exact amount is now being calculated. We have brought a message of hope to the millions of Syrians who have been affected by this terrible crisis. The United Nations will ensure that we use these funds effectively to meet the urgent lifesaving needs of the Syrian people. To be effective, the aid must be delivered in a coherent and coordinated way. That is why the appeals presented today are so important. They provide a framework for action. Thanks to your contributions, humanitarian agencies and their partners will be able to reach more people, both inside and outside Syria, with life-saving aid. They will be able to feed and clothe more children who are living in tents and abandoned buildings … provide more drinking water to those camping in schools and office blocks … and enable more of the sick and injured to receive the medical treatment they so urgently need. We can never give back what they lost. But we can and must provide our support and give the Syrian people hope for a better future. That is why we are here and I thank you very much again