Canada Eases Sanctions on Syria, Earmarks $84M for Humanitarian Aid

Canada Eases Sanctions on Syria, Earmarks $84M for Humanitarian Aid
Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly speaks to reporters in the foyer of the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on March 27, 2023. The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick
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Ottawa has announced $84 million in new funding for humanitarian assistance in Syria and is taking steps to temporarily ease sanctions imposed on the former Assad regime, saying this will facilitate aid delivery and support the country’s political stabilization.

The funding response to the crisis in Syria will provide humanitarian aid, including food, health care, protection services, clean water, and sanitation, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said in a March 12 joint statement with then-International Development Minister Ahmed Hussen. The new amount will bring Canada’s total humanitarian aid to Syria this year to more than $100 million.