Bulgarian PM Borisov Calls for Political Solutions to Humanitarian Crises at Istanbul Summit

Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov (2L) attends World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul, 23 May 2016. Photo: government.bg

The efficient use of resources for delivering humanitarian aid is crucial in view of increasing need of humanitarian assistance around the world but aid can't replace political solutions, Bulgarian Prime Minister Boyko Borisov has said.

"We will strive to increase financial contribution to humanitarian organisations of the UN system, as well as the mechanisms and instruments of the EU", Borisov said at the first-ever World Humanitarian Summit that opened in Istanbul on Monday, according to a statement from the government press ofiice in Sofia.

In recent years, the world has been facing humanitarian crises caused by armed conflicts and natural disasters unprecedented in number, scale and duration, Borisov said, confirming Bulgaria’s commitment to global and regional efforts aimed at preventing and resolving existing conflicts and creating conditions for preventing their recurrence.  

The two-day summit in Istanbul, attended by 125 of the UN’s 193 Member States, has brought together world leaders who are expected to make commitments on how to respond to what UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon described as the worst global humanitarian situation since the end of World War II. The EU delegation is led by European Commission Vice-President for Budget and Human Resources, Kristalina Georgieva.

The Bulgarian premier expressed appreciation for the report of the UN Secretary General and said that Bulgaria joins the declaration of a group of Member States, which confirms the norms of international humanitarian law and calls for strict and unconditional compliance with them.

Borisov also said at the summit that Bulgaria had already delivered on pledges made at the international conference for support for Syria and the region held in London in February.

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