Syria: "The overall situation is dire, 16 million need humanitarian aid" - OCHA | United Nations

Briefing by Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), on the situation in the Middle East - Security Council, 9983rd meeting. -------------- Amid the precarious military and political situation, 16 million Syrians across the country need humanitarian aid, according to Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher. Additionally, over 185,000 people have been displaced across Sweida, Dar’a, Rural Damascus and beyond. “The overall situation is dire. We need to sustain urgent delivery of food, health, shelter, clean water, fuel, restoration of water and electricity infrastructure, education. In some areas, those arriving now outnumber the existing population. Services are overwhelmed,” said Mr. Fletcher. Teams from the UN humanitarian aid coordination office (OCHA) have visited Sweida and other towns, delivering aid and assessing needs. OCHA has also provided emergency food packages, flour and essential household items to tens of thousands of people. However, insecurity and road closures have disrupted the supply of aid from the UN, NGO partners and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent. “We need better humanitarian and commercial access. And most of all, we need safety,” Mr. Fletcher stressed, particularly referring to attacks on aid convoys, health facilities, medics and ambulances. Nevertheless, “despite funding and security challenges, the UN and partners are delivering as much lifesaving support as we can with the resources we have,” reaching 3.5 million people on average each month, a noticeable increase from last year. But with the 2025 humanitarian appeal in the country only 14 per cent funded, ongoing aid cuts in many Western capitals are projected to lead to reduced staffing of at least 40 per cent across the humanitarian community inside Syria. The UN relief chief emphasised that without more funding, “we won’t be able to sustain these vital efforts, let alone expand them to more people who need them.” Furthermore, while he urged humanitarian support, he also stressed that long-term development investment is needed in Syria “to reduce and ultimately end reliance on humanitarian aid.”


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