Highlights:
• In July UNICEF continued to respond to the dramatic escalation of violence in northwest Syria continued in July, by providing life-saving multi-sectoral services in Idleb, northern Hama and Aleppo governorates to host communities, IDPs, and new waves of displacements. Prepositioned emergency supplies and emergency services were delivered to newly displaced people in northern Aleppo and Idleb through the main sectors.
• In the northeast of the country, where an estimated 1.65 million people are currently in need of humanitarian assistance, UNICEF continued to provide nutrition, water, sanitation, hygiene, health, education and protection assistance for the affected population, with specific focus on those living in camps such as Al Hol, that continues to host approximately 70,000 people.
• UNICEF scaled-up its advocacy efforts to address the needs of some 25,000 people still displaced in Rukban camp, in the South of the country, living in extremely dire conditions and worked in the organization of an inter-agency convoy to reach the affected population in August.
• Overall, the Humanitarian Appeal for Children for the Whole of Syria response remains critically underfunded (53 per cent) against the US$294.8 million requirement. Additional funding, especially long-term flexible in nature is needed to ensure that children through Syria continue to receive the needed life-saving humanitarian assistance.
SITUATION IN NUMBERS
In Syria
5 million # of children affected
11.7 million # of people affected (HNO summary, 2019)
Outside Syria
Over 2.5 million (2,530,048) # of registered Syria refugee children
Over 5.6 million (5,622,328) # of registered Syrian refugees (UNHCR, 8 August 2019)
UNICEF Appeal 2018
US$ 294.8 Million
Funding Status
US$ 140 Million
Situation Overview & Humanitarian Needs:
The dramatic escalation of violence in northwest Syria continued in July, resulting in civilian casualties, deaths and displacements. Between the beginning of May and 26 July, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has documented the deaths of at least 450 civilians, while UNOCHA reported 452,6231 displacements have occurred as people fled their homes in southern Idleb and northern Hama to escape from the hostilities. The widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure, such as homes, bakeries, markets, hospitals, schools and water stations, adds to the suffering of civilians in northwest Syria, also hindering humanitarian aid operations. In addition, schools are being used to host displaced population (in Idleb alone, approximately 100 schools) affecting children’s right to education. In July alone, there have been at least 29 incidents affecting civilian/humanitarian infrastructure or humanitarian staff, with several humanitarian workers reportedly killed. Humanitarian response is ongoing with hundreds of thousands of people receiving critical assistance essential for their survival while additional funding is required to continue supporting all people in need across northwest Syria. The humanitarian community has a detailed operational plan in place to respond to the needs of up to 800,000 people affected by the violence in the northwest, including 700,000 people through cross-border operations from Turkey and 100,000 people in Government-controlled areas from Damascus. UNICEF programmes and partners continued the provision of services in Idleb, northern Hama and Aleppo governorates to host communities, IDPs, and new waves of displacements. Prepositioned emergency supplies and emergency services were delivered to newly displaced in northern Aleppo and Idleb through the main life-saving sectors.
In the northeast of the country, an estimated 1.65 million people are currently in need of humanitarian assistance, out of which 900,0005 are considered acutely affected due to a combination of factors, including displacement, recurrent exposure to hostilities, and limited access to basic services such as safe water, education and healthcare. There are currently 605,000 IDPs in the northeast as a result of past and current military operations. Two out of every 10 displaced persons now live in an IDP site, including camps, as well as collective and last resort sites. The largest site in the northeast is the Al Hol camp in Al Hassakeh, hosting approximately 70,000 people, followed by Ein Issa (13,000 people) in Ar-Raqqa, Areesha (8,500 people) in Al Hassakeh and Abu Kashab (6,000 people) in Deir-ez-Zor. People in the camps remain fully dependent on humanitarian assistance. In Al Hol, UNICEF and other humanitarian partners are providing food, water, health care, shelter services, non-food items (NFI) supplies, including hygienic items and education and protection support. Low purchasing power is a challenge and people continue to receive food assistance through ready-to-eat food rations.
In the South of the country, over 17,000 internally displaced Syrians6 , as of 21 July, have now left Rukban, after living in the remote location for over five years. With approximately 25,000 women, children and men remaining in Rukban (41 per cent of camp’s estimated population of 41,700), the humanitarian situation remains dire due to limited access to basic health care and shortages of basic supplies such as flour, vegetables and bread. UNICEF continued its advocacy at all levels to ensure that the humanitarian needs of the affected populations are taken into consideration and worked with other UN Agencies and humanitarian actors for a convoy to reach the camp in August.