Syria Humanitarian Crisis: Funding Gaps and Winter Needs Briefing

Humanitarian Needs in Syria

• 🌍 Over 16 million people across Syria require humanitarian assistance due to ongoing challenges.
• ⚠️ Localized insecurity and climatic shocks continue to worsen needs, particularly in southern Syria, with over 180,000 people displaced.
• 💥 Explosive remnants of war remain a significant threat, having killed over 570 people and injured 960 since December last year, disrupting livelihoods.
• 💧 Historic drought-like conditions are impacting water availability and agricultural production, exacerbating food insecurity.

Returns and Re-establishment Challenges

• 🏠 More than 1.2 million refugees and 1.9 million internally displaced people have returned to their homes since December.
• 🛠️ However, returnees require substantial support to reestablish their lives, including humanitarian aid, with 70% facing food shortages and many reporting damaged homes and lack of income opportunities.
• 📜 Many returnees still need civil documentation to help reintegrate.

Winter Preparedness and Funding Shortfalls

• ❄️ Partners are seeking to assist 2 million vulnerable people with essential winter supplies, including heating fuel, stoves, and warm clothing.
• 📉 A critical funding gap exists, with only 12% of the required funding mobilized for winter supplies.
• 🏥 Over 360 health facilities have suspended or reduced services due to funding cuts, impacting more than 7 million people.

Funding Status and Appeal

• 💰 The Syria appeal is severely underfunded, reaching only 26% of its target with just over a month left in the year.
• 🆘 This underfunding leads to continued gaps and reductions in critical assistance across various sectors.

Call for International Community Support

• 🕊️ Continued engagement is needed to de-escalate conflicts and prevent new violence, ensuring safety and protection, especially for vulnerable groups like children and women.
• 📈 Concrete, targeted, and large-scale investment in development and reconstruction is crucial to reduce reliance on emergency aid.
• 💰 Mobilizing resources from the private sector, development investments, and climate finance is essential to translate opportunities into concrete support.