World leaders promise billions in Syrian refugee aid

The world was asked to dig deep to offer financial help and hope to the 18 million people displaced both inside and outside Syria due to civil war at a conference in London today.

By the end of the day, £7bn had been pledged, surpassing the £5.4bn target, said by the UN to be the biggest amount raised in a day for a single cause.

The priority has been to not just come up with the funds to feed and house refugees but to help the economies of neighbouring countries hosting the majority of them.

ITV News International Affairs Editor, Rageh Omaar reports:

Saudi Arabia is ready to back the US-led coalition in Syria with ground troops, a Saudi military spokesman told Reuters.

"The kingdom is ready to participate in any ground operations that the coalition (against Islamic State) may agree to carry out in Syria," Brigadier General Ahmed Asseri told the Saudi-owned al-Arabiya TV.

The European Union will do "whatever it can" to improve trade and export conditions for countries bearing the brunt of Syria's refugee crisis, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said.

At the end of the Supporting Syria and the Region conference, Merkel said that trade preferences could be put in place for neighbouring countries who host the vast majority of the 4 million refugees escaping from the civil war.

She made the announcement after Turkey, Jordan and Lebanon, agreed at the conference to take measures to give the new arrivals access to education and the labour market.

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said that those helping to support Syrian President Bashar al-Assad are committing war crimes and "inflicting a starvation siege" on civilians.

He said that the Syrian army, backed by foreign forces and Russian air strikes, intend to inflict a starvation siege on Aleppo.

But the Prime Minister insisted that whatever the cost, Turkey's door will be open to all Syrians fleeing the conflict.

Prime Minister David Cameron said that the Supporting Syrian and the region has raised well over $10bn (£7.5bn) for the civil war stricken country.

Cameron said that $6bn (£4.1bn) has been secured for Syria this year alone and a further $5bn (£3.4) has been pledged until 2020.

He added the funds would "save lives, will give hope, will give people the chance of a future", adding: "That, I think, is a good and vital day's work."

Countries neighbouring Syria have also agreed to educate refugee children to ensure there is no "lost generation", Cameron said.

UN Chief Ban Ki-Moon said: "Never has the international community raised so much money on a single day for a single crisis."

The European Union has pledged 2.4 billion euros (£1.84bn), more than twice its previous pledge, to help the millions of Syrians displaced by civil war.

The EU's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security, Federica Mogherini said that the funds came out of the budget alone and is added to national contributions.

But she added that money alone is not the solution, adding: "If you don't have access and a political horizon, we will meet here again next year with more money and no solution."

Turkish Prime Minister, Ahmet Davutoglu told the conference for Syria that he expects thousands more refugees to cross the border into his country.

Turkey is already hosting more than 2.5 million refugees but up to 70,000 more were on the move towards the country to escape aerial bombardments on Aleppo, he said.

And he said that hundreds of thousands more will come from Syria as the civil war continues.