Amman, 1 July 2021 – 'We call on the United Nations Security Council to authorise and expand for 12 months the delivery of cross-border humanitarian aid to northern Syria. The vote is due by 10 July. Failing the renewal, the already dire situation of over 1.7 million vulnerable children in the area will get far worse.
"Syria is no safe place for children. Without the cross-border assistance, children will be denied life-saving assistance, their protection and access to water, hygiene, medical support and education will be severely hampered.
"Children in the northeast of Syria face an equally dire situation. Needs have grown by nearly one-third since the closing of a critical border point allowing aid to the area. The Security Council must urgently address ongoing challenges to the delivery of humanitarian assistance in the northeast.
"Now is not the time to scale back life-saving assistance to children in Syria. Humanitarian needs have skyrocketed since the COVID-19 pandemic started. Nearly every child in Syria now depends on assistance. Meanwhile, indiscriminate attacks continue, putting millions of children in danger. So far, at least 12,000 children- and likely many more- have been killed or injured across the country.
"We call on the United Nations Security Council to authorise and expand cross-border assistance for 12 months. All modalities of assistance, cross-border and crossline, are essential to meet rising needs and allow humanitarian partners to deliver assistance to children in need wherever they are in the country. The lives of millions of children in Syria depend on this decision."
Signed:
CARE International
Concern Worldwide
DanChurch Aid
Heartland Alliance
International Rescue Committee
International Organization for Migration
Mercy Corps
Plan International
Save the Children
UNICEF
World Vision International
For more information, please contact:
Fatima Azzeh, Senior Communications Manager for the Syria Crisis, [email protected], +962 79 711 7414.
Notes to Editors
- The impact of conflict continues to deepen across Syria. In the last year alone, we have seen a 20 per cent increase in the number of children in need. More than half a million children under the age of five are stunted due to chronic malnutrition, while nearly 2.5 million children are out of school.
- More than 2.4 million people in the northwest are reached every month with assistance from across Syria’s borders. This includes not only medical supplies, water, hygiene and food assistance, but also educational support, like books and stationery, fuel for schools, for 78,000 children.
- Through cross border assistance, nearly 53,000 children and women benefit from services to tackle domestic violence and sexual abuse. Another 20,000 women and girls may face reduced access to activities aimed at preventing gender-based violence.
- Humanitarian organizations face an unprecedented funding crunch threatening their response to the Syria crisis. Only 15 per cent of funding of the financial requirements have been received so far. This includes operations inside Syria and in neighbouring countries.
About The No Lost Generation Initiative
Launched in 2013, No Lost Generation is a strategic framework for the responses to the Syria and crisis, embedded within existing planning, coordination and reporting structures. Working across three pillars – Education, Child Protection, and Adolescents & Youth – the No Lost Generation initiative comprises joint programming at country level and joint advocacy at regional and global levels by humanitarian partners to strengthen support to children and youth affected by both crises, recognizing that their safety, wellbeing, and education are essential to the future of Syria and the region. Jointly led by UNICEF and World Vision, the No Lost Generation initiative brings together humanitarian and development partners from United Nations agencies, local and international non-governmental organizations, donors and host governments.