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

Szijjártó 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-secretarygeneral of the UN for humanitarian affairs, 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 being attended by 250 experts from 54 UN member states.

Source www.hungarymatters.hu

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