联合国为叙利亚及其周边国家人道筹款44亿美元

International donors have pledged $4.4 billion dollars in humanitarian aid for Syria and neighboring countries that have sheltered refugees this year.

But the pledges are significantly less than the more than $7 billion the United Nations is seeking.

U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs chief Mark Lowcock said the pledges made at an international donor conference in Brussels are a "good start." He said that based on previous years he expects more money will come in.

Lowcock said several major donors, including the United States, have not yet confirmed their pledges. He said the United States has been providing more than $1 billion a year to Syria and the region in recent years.

Lowcock said the additional money for 2019 is needed for humanitarian purposes in Syria and to assist refugees in nearby countries.

Some 450,000 people have been killed in Syria since President Bashar al-Assad's 2011 crackdown on protestors calling for his ouster.