New York: With the added impact of COVID-19, there is no respite for civilians in Syria.Today 24 million people need humanitarian or other forms of assistance in Syria and the region. That is four million more than in 2020, and more than at any other time since the conflict began. They face increasing hunger and poverty, continued displacement and ongoing attacks. The neighbouring countries host four out of five Syrian refugees worldwide, in what remains the world’s largest refugee crisis, while also trying to address increasing socio-economic challenges for their own nationals.
On the eve of the fifth Brussels conference for Syria, the United Nations humanitarian, refugee and development chiefs have urged international donors to step up and stand with the millions of people in Syria and the region who depend on lifesaving humanitarian aid and livelihood support after a decade of war.
Calling on the international community to step up funding for relief programmes in Syria and the region,UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), UN refugee agency (UNHCR) and UN Development Programme (UNDP) said in a joint news release today that over US$10 billion was needed in 2021, to fully support the relief measures for Syrians and refugee-hosting communities in need. This included at least US$4.2 billion for the humanitarian response inside Syria and US$5.8 billion to support refugees and host communities in the region.
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“After a decade of exile, refugees’ hardship has been compounded by the crushing impact of the pandemic, lost livelihoods and education, deepening hunger and desperation. The hard-earned gains we’ve collectively achieved over years are already at risk. The international community cannot turn their backs on the refugees or their hosts. Refugees and their hosts must get nothing less than our unfaltering commitment, solidarity and support. A failure to do so will be catastrophic for the people and the region,” UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said.
UN humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock said thought there was less fighting there was no peace dividend as plummeting living conditions, economic decline and COVID-19 had resulted in more hunger, malnutrition and disease. “An investment in kindness and humanity is always good but sustaining the basic living standards for people in Syria is also an essential ingredient of sustainable peace. That is in everybody’s interest,” Lowcock said.
UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner noted that for refugees from Syria and their host communities in the region, the COVID-19 pandemic hit during a decade-long crisis – had stretched them to breaking point. “At present, poverty and inequality are skyrocketing as hundreds of thousands of people have lost their jobs and livelihoods. And countries that host refugees are struggling to provide basic services like healthcare and water. Now, more than ever, the support of the international community is needed to meet life-saving humanitarian needs – and to tackle the acute development emergency that the region now faces,” Steiner said.
At last year’s conference in Brussels, the international community pledged US$5.5 billion in funding to support humanitarian, resilience and development activities in 2020. Sustained donor financing for the UN’s response plans , the UN said funds are required for food, water and sanitation, health services, education, child vaccinations and shelter for millions of people living on the brink in Syria. “It will also provide cash assistance, job or training opportunities, and other services such as access to primary and secondary education, in conjunction with national systems, to millions in Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, Iraq, and Egypt,” it stated.
– global bihari bureau
