Aid organizations to form network to facilitate delivery of medical, food supplies in Syria

Delegates from humanitarian aid groups from the Arab and Muslim world at a conference in Cairo on Sunday urged international aid agencies to utilize Syrian civil society and private sector groups to deliver medical and food aid inside the country, where anti-government protests have displaced hundreds of thousands and pushed many below the poverty line, IRIN reports. "Access was among the main points of discussion at the meeting, hosted by the Arab League, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and The Humanitarian Forum, which called for better coordination in the delivery of aid both inside Syria and to refugees in neighboring countries, especially in the area of access to health care," the news service writes.

"U.N. agencies, [non-governmental organizations (NGOs)] and host organizations agreed at the meeting to prioritize the treatment of injured victims of the fighting in Syria, as well as delivery of medicine to patients of chronic diseases," while "WHO said it will collaborate with other agencies in securing supplies needed in hospitals, including fuel, generators and medical equipment," according to IRIN. "Participants of the meeting agreed to form a network of agencies working in the health sector to share information about the exact needs of Syrians both inside and outside Syria," the news service writes. "The meeting in Cairo was one of several attempts to improve technical coordination between the various responders to the crisis in Syria," IRIN notes, adding, "Another meeting scheduled for 8 March in Geneva will bring together U.N. agencies, the humanitarian aid arm of the European Commission (ECHO), the Arab League, OIC and NGOs" (3/5).