Szijjarto: Hungary to spend HUF 250m on humanitarian aid in 2015

Budapest, February 3 (MTI) – Hungary is planning to spend 250 million forints (EUR 807,000) on humanitarian aid this year, focusing on protection for Christian communities worldwide and assistance to the Hungarian community in Ukraine, Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto said on Tuesday.

Addressing the opening ceremony of a regional United Nations conference in Budapest, Szijjarto noted that humanitarian policy was an “integral and extremely important” component of Hungary’s diplomacy. He added that the Hungarian government had spent about one billion forints on humanitarian aid between 2010 and 2014.

Szijjarto said that Christian communities were being threatened especially in the Middle East. He added that Hungary had provided aid worth 70,000 euros to those communities last year.

Valerie Amos, under-secretary-general of the UN for humanitarian issues, stressed the importance of prevention and preparedness in connection with future disasters. It is also crucial for organisations to cooperate and provide a coordinated response, she said.

Christos Stylianides, EU commissioner for humanitarian aid and crisis management, referred to increasing demand and limited resources, international terrorism and climate change as the greatest challenges. The Budapest conference, he said, offers an opportunity to revise the system and discuss possible changes.

The Budapest conference, one of eight regional events, was organised in preparation for the first humanitarian UN summit to be held in Istanbul next year.

The two-day conference is attended by 250 experts from 54 UN member states.

Photo: MTI

Source: http://mtva.hu/hu/hungary-matters