LONDON: The EBRD investment bank on Wednesday said it was seeking to invest 900 million euros ($986 million) as part of international efforts to tackle the refugee crisis.
Its announcement comes on the eve of talks Thursday in London to try and raise $9.0 billion (8.2 billion euros) for the millions of Syrians hit by the country's civil war and a refugee crisis spanning Europe and the Middle East.
"The EBRD is joining international efforts to tackle the refugee crisis caused by the civil war in Syria with a financing package that could be worth 900 million euros to support private sector and infrastructure projects in some of the worst affected countries," the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development said in a statement.
"Among the countries where the EBRD invests, Turkey currently houses more than two million refugees from Syria alone, while Jordan has an estimated 1.4 million people who have fled their homes," it added.
The EBRD was created in 1991 to help former Communist countries like Poland and Ukraine make the transition to free-market economies and democracy, but has in recent years expanded its reach to invest in Turkey, Jordan and north Africa.
Speaking Wednesday, EBRD President Suma Chakrabarti said the bank "would be able to finance up to 500 million euros in new transactions subject to mobilising an additional 400 million euros in grants" from donors.
He added: "This is a serious crisis and failure to address the issue will only make matters worse. We must act now."
Thursday's donor conference in London, the fourth of its kind, hopes to meet the United Nations' demand for $7.73 billion to help in Syria plus $1.23 billion assistance for countries in the region affected by the crisis.
British Prime Minister David Cameron will host more than 70 international leaders at the summit.
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