In response to the acute humanitarian situation, Norway is providing an additional NOK 15 million in humanitarian aid to Gaza. This funding will be used to purchase medicines and other medical supplies and to increase treatment capacity in Gaza's hospitals.

Norway will provide a further NOK 30 million to alleviate the situation in Somalia. The funds will be channelled through the Somalia Humanitarian Fund, which is administered by the UN, and through Save the Children Norway and Norwegian Church Aid.

'Over the last year, Somalia has been severely affected by drought. Now, the population has been hit by flash floods and river flooding. The authorities and humanitarian actors are doing their best to respond to the situation. It is important that Norway also does its part,' said Minister of Foreign Affairs Ine Eriksen Søreide.

The Government has decided to provide NOK 10 million to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) response to the current Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. NOK 2 million of this amount will be used on equipment developed in Norway and specialist personnel who will train health care workers in the use of this equipment.

‘Medical preparedness and a swift international response to the Ebola outbreak in DR Congo are essential if we are to prevent a new Ebola epidemic,’ said Minister of Foreign Affairs Ine Eriksen Søreide.

'Norway's humanitarian budget has never been bigger than it is now, but the needs created by the world's humanitarian crises are continuing to grow. The Government has therefore proposed increasing the humanitarian budget by NOK 116 million. The additional funds will be channelled primarily to the crises in Yemen and the Democratic Republic of Congo,' said Minister of Foreign Affairs Ine Eriksen Søreide.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Ms. Ine Eriksen Søreide's statement at the conference "Supporting the future of Syria and the region".

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Excellencies, Ladies and gentlemen,

Our collective failure to end the conflict in Syria is the reason we are meeting here today.

The conflict, which has now entered its eighth year, has caused untold human suffering.

Violations of international humanitarian law and failure to protect civilians happen every day, and have been throughout the conflict.