'Syrian refugees ultimately want to go home', says UN's aid chief

The UN Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian Aid, Stephen O'Brien welcomed the Syria funding conference on Thursday but said what refugees will ultimately want is to get home.

He told ITV News that it takes an average 17 years for refugees fleeing war to return to their homeland and said that funding raised by the international community will help them return home "as soon as possible".

"Part of what we did today in London... was to say we need to make sure that we invest behind the humanitarian approach to help people stay in their own homes," O'Brien said.

The former Conservative MP and International Development Minister defended the UN's stance to get unimpeded access to Syria by being ready to negotiate with President Bashar al-Assad's regime.