Syrian Arab Republic Appeal

The complex emergency in the Syrian Arab Republic has had its worst impact on children. The prolonged conflict, coupled with public health emergencies, economic and climate-related shocks and widespread protracted displacements, has rendered 16.7 million people in need of humanitarian assistance, including 7.5 million children. 

The conflict escalation in Lebanon has led to a humanitarian crisis in neighbouring countries, particularly the Syrian Arab Republic. More than 473,000 Syrians displaced from Lebanon, along with Lebanese refugees, have entered the country since 24 September 2024. This influx of people, 58 per cent of them children, puts further pressure on the already overstretched resources and services in the Syrian Arab Republic. Affected people require integrated life-saving interventions, early recovery efforts and protection measures across the country, including in the northwest and the northeast. 

The 2023 earthquakes aggravated people's longstanding vulnerabilities. Despite a significant humanitarian response, access to services, adequate infrastructure and economic inclusion are still challenging. Some 7.2 million people are internally displaced, with 2 million of them living in mostly overcrowded camps and 5.2 million living outside of camps. Among those people who are internally displaced, 3.4 million are in the northwest. 

Eighty-five percent of households struggle to make ends meet, increasing their reliance on aid and such negative coping mechanisms as child labour and suboptimal diets. Almost 40 per cent of hospitals and health facilities are either non-functional or only partially functional, while climate-induced shocks and power supply disruptions have intensified water scarcity and food insecurity. Nearly 13.6 million people require access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services; and 5.7 million people, including 3.7 million children, require nutritional assistance.

Despite a notable reduction in the number of verified grave violations against children, from 2,483 in 2022 to 1,574 in 2023, the harsh reality is that 6.4 million children are in urgent need of protection services. In the northeast, children and women face arbitrary arrest, extensive violence and forced relocation. Across the country, insecurity and economic hardship continue to contribute to human rights violations, fear and psychological distress, leading to gender-based violence, child marriage and the risk of sexual exploitation and abuse. Additionally, there is a significant threat from unexploded ordnance contamination. 

With destruction or damage to 3,700 schools, 7.2 million children and education personnel require continuity of critical and sustained education services, including 3.3 million girls affected by poverty. More than 2.45 million children are out of school, and more than 1 million children, particularly those with disabilities, are at risk of dropping out of school.

Under the Whole of Syria approach, UNICEF will prioritize actions to address the most severe and protracted needs, leading inter-agency efforts for the nutrition, education and WASH sectors, as well as the Child Protection Area of Responsibility. UNICEF will continue to deliver its mandate with an equity-focused approach targeting all population groups, also including Syrians displaced from Lebanon and Lebanese refugees in 2024, and other vulnerable groups. UNICEF will coordinate at national and subnational levels to unify strategies, improve communication and ensure efficient resource allocation. 

UNICEF’s programming prioritizes sustainable and community-based approaches underpinning strong social and economic integration and reintegration and the well-being of communities, in particular children and women. UNICEF will deliver beyond life-saving interventions, establishing linkages of humanitarian porgrammes with early recovery and long-term perspectives. UNICEF will invest in systems strengthening at national and subnational levels, promote localized actions and enhance community resilience and crisis preparedness. UNICEF’s comprehensive multisectoral strategies, incorporating risk-informed, conflict-sensitive, gender-sensitive and disability-inclusive elements, will be executed through expanded partnerships to achieve transformative results at scale. 

UNICEF and its partners will enhance children’s well-being by improving access to quality preventive and curative nutrition services. The safe, equitable and sustainable access to health services will be ensured through outreach, community engagement and rebuilding of the local health systems, emphasizing prevention and response. 

The WASH programme will transition into a cost-effective, community-building response, focusing on infrastructure rehabilitation and integrating solar components for sustainable WASH services in vulnerable areas. This shift ensures the most underserved and vulnerable populations receive support, though it may reduce overall beneficiaries.

Children and adolescents will continue to learn through inclusive, equitable and safe access to both formal and non-formal education, identifying multiple pathways to education and protection services, including early childhood development. Adolescents will play a pivotal role in community engagement through life skills and social cohesion programmes. 

Specialized child protection services will safeguard children from violence, abuse and exploitation in homes, schools and communities through mental health support, gender-based violence response, positive parenting programmes and explosive ordnance risk education. UNICEF will increase humanitarian cash transfers to help vulnerable families support their children through shock-responsive social protection. 

Integrating social and behavioural change into emergency response will help communities create tailored solutions and meaningful participation. UNICEF will reinforce its commitment to protecting populations from sexual exploitation and abuse. UNICEF will continue to collect and use equitable data to monitor and evaluate programmes for evidence-based emergency response.