News outlets report on the outcome of a one-day donor pledging conference for humanitarian relief efforts in Syria and neighboring countries.

Agence France-Presse/Khaleej Times: Donors pledge nearly $1.3 billion at Syria meeting
“Donors meeting in Kuwait on Wednesday [by midday] pledged nearly $1.3 billion in humanitarian aid for victims of the Syrian war, which the U.N. chief said had left half the population in need of urgent help. The meeting comes just a week before the so-called ‘Geneva II’ peace meeting aimed at finding a political solution to the 34-month conflict that has claimed 130,000 lives…” (1/15).

New York Times: Donors Offer $2.4 Billion to Aid Syrian Civilians, but U.N. Says More Is Needed
“Western nations, Arab states and others pledged more than $2.4 billion on Wednesday to help civilians who are suffering because of the civil war in Syria. The pledges came as Ban Ki-moon, the United Nations secretary general, told a donors conference here that $6.5 billion was needed to provide medical care, food, water and shelter for Syrian refugees and civilians inside the country this year…” (Gordon, 1/15).

U.N. News Centre: Heeding U.N. call for funds, donors pledge $2.4 billion to assist Syrians in need
“…An estimated 9.3 million people in Syria, many of them stranded in hard-to-reach and besieged areas, urgently need help, according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Nearly half of them are children, who do not have adequate access to health care or education…” (1/15).

VOA News: Donors to Increase Humanitarian Aid for Syria
“…U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry announced $380 million in additional assistance, bringing Washington’s humanitarian total since the crisis began to more than $1.7 billion for displaced civilians inside Syria as well as for refugees and host communities in neighboring countries…” (Stearns, 1/15).

The Guardian’s DataBlog: Aid to Syria: the 5 big questions
“…As the crisis enters its third year, donors are growing tired and the humanitarian situation is deteriorating. Ahead of a conference in Kuwait City on Wednesday that aim’s to raise £4 billion for Syria’s nine million displaced, we ask five questions about donations that reveal the trends in aid…” (Chalabi, 1/15).