Syria: Urgent action to address humanitarian needs

2023-06-14 07:30:00

In addition to the conflict and the recent earthquake, vulnerable communities are also grappling with rampant inflation, an economic downturn, the collapse of public health services, the destruction of homes, and the risk that essential infrastructure will stop working. Today, almost 90% of the population is below the poverty line and more than fifteen million people need humanitarian assistance, a trend that has been maintained for several years now.

There is serious concern about the risk that essential infrastructure will not withstand. The imposition of restrictive measures and international sanctions makes it difficult to import spare parts needed to maintain essential infrastructure in several major cities, which is why the ICRC continues to insist on the incorporation of well-defined and permanent humanitarian exemption clauses in the sanctions regimes in the that there are not yet. Most of the plants have been damaged and are operating at reduced capacity, bringing access to potable water to worrying levels.

Following the earthquake, the ICRC, in collaboration with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, scaled up its response to meet growing needs by delivering emergency relief, medical care, water and mental health services, as well as rehabilitation of facilities, mostly schools that are used as shelters. In addition, also in cooperation with the National Society, access to drinking water was improved and transformers were distributed to restore the supply of electricity.

“The international community must face the harsh reality that the current situation in Syria is unsustainable, and understand that inaction will have disastrous consequences for all parties and hamper any prospect of a sustainable recovery,” said Fabrizio Carboni, ICRC regional director for Near East and Middle East. “We cannot turn our backs on the suffering of the Syrian population. We must prioritize the preservation of essential infrastructure and provide comprehensive humanitarian responses.”

The ICRC urges donor states to make an immediate international commitment to protect essential infrastructure and services, as well as to ensure a comprehensive and sustainable humanitarian response while the search for longer-term solutions continues. Coordinated efforts and expanded funding are urgently needed to facilitate early recovery.

“The collapse of essential services is not a remote threat, but rather a very real possibility, one that will have devastating consequences for the Syrian population if we don’t redouble our efforts to prevent it,” says Carboni. “If we invest in meeting these vital needs, we can have a positive ripple effect: at a minimum, we will help residents have access to a basic level of essential services, which can contribute to the process of rebuilding their lives, as well as to the Obtaining, on the part of humanitarian organizations, the necessary tools so that their assistance has a significantly greater effectiveness and impact. We must act now.”

Note to editors:

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), which has been present in Syria since 1967, strives to meet the needs of the population. Among its priorities are providing safe access to drinking water and essential services for more than twelve million people, protecting the economic security of more than three million inhabitants by facilitating their access to food and the possibility of generating income, and working to mitigate the disastrous consequences of weapons contamination in many hard-hit communities. In addition, the ICRC carries out intensive activities on behalf of the disappeared or detained, as well as those who remain in camps with no prospects for the future, particularly vulnerable children.

Media Contacts:
Suhair Zakkout, CICR Damasco, [email protected]tel: [phone]
Names Trabelsi, CICR Beirut, [email protected]tel: [phone]
Jessica Moussan, CICR Dubai, [email protected]tel [phone]