Through Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, support, UNICEF delivers new refrigerated trucks to the Ministry of Health to strengthen vaccine delivery in Syria

Damascus, 28 August 2025 – Today, UNICEF will hand over three brand-new refrigerated trucks to Syria’s Ministry of Health. This marks an important milestone in strengthening the country’s Expanded Programme on Immunization.

The vehicles, procured with the generous support of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, are state-of-the-art and fully compliant with WHO standards. They are equipped with advanced, temperature-controlled systems to ensure the safe storage and transport of vaccines across the country.

“These refrigerated trucks will make a real difference for children and families across Syria. Strengthening the national cold chain is critical to ensuring that children have access to safe and effective vaccines, “said H.E. Dr. Musaab Alali, Minister of Health. “We deeply value our partnership with UNICEF and Gavi, whose support is helping us build a stronger, more resilient health system for the future.”

Under the leadership of the Ministry of Health, UNICEF is contributing to strengthening the health system for every child. UNICEF has rehabilitated over 70 health centers, is advancing work on 100 more health centers, and expanded cold chain capacity. Since January 2025, vaccination efforts have reached over 475,000 children. To ensure no-one is left behind, UNICEF has also deployed health mobile teams to deliver essential care to the hardest to reach communities.

To sustain health services, UNICEF supports 106 primary health-care centers and 170 mobile teams delivering critical maternal child health services as well as nutrition services reaching 1.3 million people. These investments reaffirm UNICEF’s determination to support rebuilding Syria’s health system and guarantee life-saving care for every child and family.

“These vehicles are more than just equipment, they are lifelines,” said Meritxell Relaño Arana, UNICEF Representative in Syria. “They will help protect children in every corner of Syria by ensuring that life-saving vaccines reach even the most remote communities safely and effectively.”

The refrigerated trucks will:

• Safely transport vaccines from central warehouses to health facilities nationwide;
• Improve equity of access so that children in undeserved and hard-to-reach areas are not left behind;
• Reduce vaccine wastage and protect vaccine quality by minimising risks of temperature fluctuations.

This critical support responds directly to a gap identified by the Ministry of Health in Syria’s national cold chain system. With these trucks, the vaccine delivery system is not only strengthened, but made more resilient and equitable.

This intervention is part of UNICEF’s ongoing commitment to support Syria’s Expanded Programme on Immunization, under the Health Systems Strengthening framework of Gavi. It is a step towards advancing primary health-care systems, increasing immunization coverage, and ensuring every child is protected against preventable diseases.

UNICEF expresses deep appreciation to the Ministry of Health for its leadership and to Gavi for its investment in children.

“This is a moment of shared achievement,” added Relaño Arana. “It is a reminder of what can be accomplished when we work together and keep children at the heart of our efforts.”