16 Million Syrians in Need of Humanitarian Assistance
The United Nations reported on Wednesday that over 16 million people in Syria still require humanitarian aid, following a prolonged armed conflict that has lasted more than 14 years.
Lisa Doughten, Director of the Funding and Communications Division at the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), highlighted during a Security Council meeting focused on the situation in Syria that the country continues to face numerous challenges, stating, “More than 16 million people in Syria still need humanitarian assistance.”
The United Nations and its partners are delivering aid to an average of 3.4 million people each month—a 24% increase compared to the same period last year, despite a decline in funding.
The UN official, speaking on behalf of Tom Fletcher, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, urged the international community to increase funding for humanitarian operations in Syria.
She emphasized the ongoing need for continuous engagement to “calm ongoing hotspots and prevent the outbreak of new violence,” and called for significant, focused, and wide-ranging investments in development and reconstruction.
She stressed to Security Council members the importance of the international community’s determined engagement to turn this opportunity into tangible support.
