After twelve years of conflict and with the vast majority of the Syrian population still facing daily challenges to meet their basic needs, the humanitarian crisis that the country is suffering must continue to be considered a global priority, he said Tuesday at the Security Council. the deputy director for operations of the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Ghada Eltahir Mudawi recalled that more than 15 million people require humanitarian aid in the country, a figure that represents almost 70% of the population.
“Some 12 million people, more than 50% of the population, currently suffer from food insecurity and another 2.9 million are at risk of going hungry. In addition, recent data shows that malnutrition is on the rise, with rates of stunting and maternal malnutrition reaching unprecedented levels”, he stressed.
The earthquake worsened a critical situation
A delicate humanitarian situation that was further aggravated by the earthquakes of last February. Its effects still resonate with more than 330,000 people who continue to be displaced by the effects of the quake, and thousands more who lost access to basic services and livelihoods.
Mudawi stressed that the situation of families who remain in collective shelters, camps and informal settlements “remains critical”, and that security problems, including gender-based violence, and needs related to mental health are increasing.
To these concerns he added the current scarcity of water, and the possible appearance of cholera outbreaks. and other waterborne diseases as the hot season approaches.
The essential role of the donor community
As the United Nations and its partners continue their efforts to respond to the most pressing humanitarian needs, Mudawi called the support of the donor community and the Council over the coming months and years to the continuing essential demands, including the response, “crucial”. early recovery.
“The preliminary assessment of Syria earthquake recovery needs estimated at almost 9000 million dollars the damages and lossesand in $14.8 billion recovery needs over the next three years,” he said.
Despite this long list of needs, Mudawi welcomed the Syrian government’s decision to extend the emergency measures implemented since the earthquakes to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid until August 13, including access for shipping and relief teams through from the border crossings of Al Ra’ee and Bab al-Salam.
“These border crossings are an essential complement to the large-scale cross-border assistance operation through Bab al-Hawa, expanding reach and reducing costs.”
In this area, he estimated the number of trucks loaded with humanitarian aid from seven UN agencies that managed to cross into northwestern Syria since the earthquakes occurred at more than 2,330.
Mudawi recalled that the importance of having continuous cross-border access to northwestern Syria was already clear before the earthquakes, and that today “it is more evident and urgent”.
“As the Secretary General pointed out, a 12-month extension of the authorization of the Security Council to the cross-border mechanism. It is a matter of life and death for millions of people in northwestern Syria”, he alerted.
He also expressed his concern about the recent closure of the border crossings between Iraq and Syria and the possible impact that it may cause “in the vulnerable situations of northeastern Syria”, since any interruption in the availability of basic necessities “will aggravate the needs and will exacerbate the precarious situation of people living in those areas.”
Aid funds do not reach 10%
Finally, he pointed out that the financing of the 5.4 billion dollars required by the revised Humanitarian Response Plan for 2023, which seeks to help 14.2 million people, does not reach 10% after the first five months of the year.
“The repercussions of this deficit are very serious: the World Food Programfor example, warns that, at the current rate, 2.5 million people are at risk of losing food or cash aid from July”.
For this reason, he expressed his hope that, during the seventh Brussels Conference, organized by the European Union on June 14 and 15, it will translate into “generous promises and a rapid disbursement of the necessary funds to support the Syrian people and the countries neighbors who generously host so many refugees.”
Syrian economy hits new lows
For his part, the United Nations Special Envoy for Syria, Geir O. Pedersen, stressed that the Syrian economy “continues to reach new lows” with the lira reaching its lowest level in history and with a constantly increasing inflation.
“And the impact of the recent earthquake has aggravated the country’s economic crisis: there are reports of a further increase in poverty, including an assessment of the International Labor Organization according to which some 170,000 workers have lost their jobs. The cumulative effects of a decade of war and conflict, corruption, the Lebanese financial crisis, COVID, sanctions, the illicit drug trade and the war in Ukraine mean that the economic slump for Syrians has never been more acute. Changing it must also be a key priority of any trust-rebuilding process.”
