Tannuka Juneja
The United Nations has appealed to continue supporting the Syrian population, which has been living in a country at war since March 2011. The UN Special Envoy for Syria, Geir O. Pedersen, said that the situation is “far from a political solution”.
At a conference on the country in Brussels, Pedersen recalled that more than 90 percent of Syrians live in poverty. The UN reinforces that the population is “paying the price” for disputes in the region and that the needs are greater than ever, even as the conflict diminishes in intensity.
The UN Office for Humanitarian Assistance (OCHA) says, aid of $10.5 billion is needed this year. This includes $4.4 billion for the response inside Syria and another $6.1 billion to support refugees and host communities in the region.
For the humanitarian coordinator, Martin Griffiths, this is the biggest request for Syria since the beginning of the crisis. According to him, the value is still below the situation of need in the country.
In addition to funding, he stressed that access to the most affected places is needed.
The humanitarian coordinator said operations reached an average of 7.3 million people a month last year, which is only half of those in need.
The Conference on Syria and the region in Brussels, Belgium is the sixth fundraising event.
While food insecurity has reached new highs, with 12 million people going hungry every day, potential exposure to explosive munitions remains high, with one in two at risk.
Among children, UN surveys show that at least one in two Syrian children is out of school and vulnerable to child labour, early and forced marriages, trafficking and recruitment by armed groups.
In addition to the Ocha appeal, led by humanitarian coordinator Martin Griffiths, UNHCR leader Filippo Grandi and UNDP leader Achim Steiner also join the appeal, noting that while the international community has shown generosity since the beginning of the conflict, more investments are needed in the country’s recovery and for humanitarian assistance.
