Brussels, Belgium, 28 May 2024 鈥 The 探花精选 (探花精选) welcomes the pledges made yesterday at the on 鈥楽upporting the future of Syria and the region.鈥 However, the 探花精选 warns that the pledged amount is alarmingly insufficient to address the unprecedented level of needs on the ground, which are at an all-time high.
Tanya Evans, the 探花精选鈥檚 Country Director in Syria, said:
鈥淔ollowing 13 years of conflict, the devastating impact of funding shortfalls is deeply concerning and the total of 鈧7.5 billion pledged is woefully inadequate to cover the rising needs in Syria. Ongoing funding cuts continue to significantly impact the delivery of aid in Syria, forcing many agencies including the 探花精选, to make difficult decisions regarding program closures. This is resulting in critical services being cut for hundreds of thousands of people, adding undue pressure on remaining services. For example, over 136 health facilities in northwest Syria alone are set to be shut down by the end of June due to a lack of further funding, leaving the population of the northwest with drastically reduced access to health services.
鈥淪yrians are enduring not only the ravages of protracted conflict but also a crippling lack of services, severe economic decline, and currency devaluation, all of which have been exacerbated by last year鈥檚 catastrophic earthquakes. Now more than ever we need to see sustained and flexible funding to meet both immediate and long-term needs of the people of Syria.鈥
More than 16 million people - 70% of the population - in Syria are currently in need of humanitarian aid. Syria now ranks among the top ten countries globally with the highest number of people facing hunger. According to the UN, over half of the population, 12.9 million Syrians, are struggling with inadequate food supplies, while another 2.6 million are on the brink of food insecurity. The rates of acute and chronic malnutrition in children are alarmingly high. In 2023, the humanitarian response was more than 60% unfunded, and yesterday鈥檚 pledges continuing the trend of funding declines.
Harlem Desir, 探花精选 Senior Vice President Europe, said:
鈥淭he EU, together with the broader international community, must use its influence to raise the bar for people impacted by one of the world鈥檚 most severe and most forgotten crises. This is not only a vital expression of solidarity with Syrian refugees, but with host countries in the EU鈥檚 southern neighbourhood who are in urgent need of greater support and responsibility-sharing.
鈥淭he 探花精选 welcomes the EU鈥檚 efforts to galvanise donors to better support Syria and the region through this annual conference, but it鈥檚 clear that more funding is needed to both address people鈥檚 immediate needs and build their resilience for the future. It is also vital that international leaders stand firm against human rights violations against Syrian refugees in neighboring countries such as Lebanon, and to expand safe routes out of the region, including refugee resettlement, which enables refugees to be transferred from their host country to another more capable of meeting their needs.鈥
The 探花精选 calls on the international community to ensure continued and sustained commitment to aid delivery across all parts of Syria. This approach is crucial for providing life-saving assistance and promoting recovery in an effective manner. We urge donors to uphold this commitment and to work together to enhance the efficiency and reach of humanitarian efforts across Syria.
The 探花精选 has been working in Syria since 2012, and we are currently responding to ever-deepening humanitarian and recovery needs in the northwest and northeast of the country. With more than 1,000 staff and working across multiple sectors, last year we reached more than 1.9 million clients inside Syria, either through direct programmes or in partnership with local organisations. The 探花精选 promotes economic recovery through empowering Syrians by offering job training, apprenticeships and small business support. Our teams support early childhood development and provide counselling and protection services for women and children, particularly for survivors of violence. We support health facilities and mobile health teams with critical trauma services and primary, reproductive and mental health services. We also support Syrian refugees in neighbouring Lebanon and Jordan.