Geneva – IOM, the UN Migration Agency, launched an appeal today (23/02) for USD 193,767,960 to help 3 million Syrians displaced and affected by the conflict in Syria; Syrian refugees living in the region; and the communities that host them.

Seven years into the armed conflict in the Syrian Arab Republic, the humanitarian situation continues to deteriorate. Over 13 million people are still in need of humanitarian assistance inside Syria, including 6.1 million internally displaced. Nearly 3 million people are living in hard-to-reach and/or besieged areas.

In addition, over 5.5 million Syrians have taken refuge in the five neighbouring countries of Lebanon, Jordan, Turkey, Iraq and Egypt. Since the crisis began, economic growth within host countries has been severely affected. With high unemployment rates, especially among young people, and limited resource availability, it is challenging for governments and municipalities to provide basic services.

“These interventions are vital to ensuring that Syrians get the life-saving assistance and livelihood support that many desperately need,” said IOM Director General William Lacy Swing, from the Organization’s headquarters in Geneva.

Some areas of relative stability are emerging. IOM tracked 850,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) returning to their areas of origin during 2017. During the same period, however, a far greater number (2.9 million) continued to flee their homes, illustrating the continuing adverse effect of violence and conflict on the Syrian population.

Access to primary health care has been drastically reduced inside Syria, while agricultural production has been cut in half compared to 2011 levels. Livelihoods have also been severely hampered by the conflict and many areas of the country are contaminated by weapons. In a joint IOM-UNMASS assessment done in November 2017, IOM reported that 33 per cent of all sub-districts in Syria were contaminated by explosive hazards.

In this increasingly protracted situation, refugees continue to need access to durable solutions including resettlement and family reunification. In 2017, IOM organized the transportation of over 37,000 Syrian refugees from Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan, Iraq and Egypt to 23 countries including Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Sweden, Norway, the United States of America and the Netherlands, among others.

With its 2018 appeal, IOM seeks to assist:

• 1 million people with non-food items and shelter support
• 800,000 people with access to safe water and services
• 500,000 people with health services
• 500,000 people with community-led protection services
• 200,000 people with livelihood opportunities
• 135,000 displaced people to receive adequate services in camps
• 35,000 children to attend school

IOM’s planned activities in Syria and the region are part of the inter-agency Syria Humanitarian Response Plan and the Regional Refugee Response Plan.

Access the full appeal here.

For more details please contact Olivia Headon at IOM Headquarters, Tel: +41794035365, Email: oheadon@iom.int