To help solve the complex problems facing Syria

Today, the UK will co-host the conference “Supporting Syria and the region 2016”, with Germany, Kuwait, Norway and the United Nations.

It will take an ambitious new approach to provide longer-term support for refugees through concrete action on livelihoods and jobs, and improved access to education, giving refugees the skills they need for the future and the best chance of a successful return home.

And today we acknowledge that the global public good of hosting refugees in the region has come at a cost to the countries where they reside.

Jordan is at the forefront of this effort, with more than 630,000 registered Syrian refugees in the country.

The conference is also about creating the right environment for investment in host communities, so that there is a tangible benefit to the local population, which has offered hospitality to refugees.

The London conference will also seek to address the huge humanitarian challenges faced by the people of Syria and neighbouring countries, such as Jordan, and raise significant new funding to meet the immediate and longer-term needs of those affected.

The 2016 UN coordinated appeals for the Syria crisis call for $7.7 billion. An additional $1.2 billion in funding is required by affected regional governments hosting refugees.

The UK has been a leading force in attempts to address the situation in Syria, and the British prime minister’s consistent focus has been on providing a comprehensive solution to the current refugee crisis, which deals with the root causes, rather than just responding to the consequences.

That means working with the international community to bring about an end to the brutal conflict in the country.

The UK’s comprehensive strategy contains three strands, covering the political, military and humanitarian dimensions.

Politically, the UK is deeply involved in the International Syria Support Group working towards a political transition to a peaceful future.

Militarily, the UK contributes to the campaign in the region to defeat Daesh alongside Jordan and other allies. And as the second largest bilateral donor after the US, pledging over £1.1 billion so far to Syria and the region to provide support such as food, shelter, medical care and clean drinking water for hundreds of thousands of people affected by the conflict, our humanitarian efforts have also been extensive.

Elsewhere, the generosity shown by neighbouring countries such as Jordan, Turkey and Lebanon has undoubtedly saved many lives and allowed people to stay close to home, avoiding perilous journeys towards Europe.

The international community has a responsibility to help more than four million refugees in neighbouring countries — as well as more than 13 million people in need of humanitarian assistance inside Syria.

And the Syrian people, and those supporting them, need to know that the international community will support them beyond 2016. Furthermore, we need to continue to support the countries neighbouring Syria.

The UK spent over $50 million in host communities in Jordan last year. We know more needs to be done. It is clear that this is straining services in these countries.

Refugees’ potential to contribute to the economy of these host countries must be harnessed, to the benefit of both the refugees and neighbouring countries. This is an achievable goal.

The conference in London will bring together global leaders, NGOs, the private sector and civil society to address some of the most pressing concerns raised by the crisis.

It will seek to raise significant new funding to meet both the immediate and longer-term needs of those affected by the situation in Syria, and to support neighbouring countries.

It will maintain pressure on all parties to the conflict to protect civilians and respect international humanitarian law. And it will identify ways to create jobs and provide education, offering all those who have been forced to flee their homes a greater hope for the future.

This event alone cannot solve the complex problems facing Syria, and a political solution remains necessary to end the conflict, but by continuing to shine a light on the abuses against innocent civilians, we will ensure the people of Syria are not forgotten.

The writer is British foreign secretary. He contributed this article to The Jordan Times.