Syrian Arab Republic: 2024 Humanitarian Needs Overview (February 2024)

Summary of Humanitarian Needs and Key Findings

• Humanitarian needs in Syria continue to rise inexorably. Escalating violence in 2023, violations of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) and International Human Rights Law (IHRL), have led to further displacement and suffering. The socioeconomic situation has continued to deteriorate, further exacerbated by the February earthquakes, negatively impacting social cohesion, and amplifying vulnerabilities. The effects of economic deterioration and lack of livelihood opportunities further expose women and girls to the risk of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (SEA) and other forms of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in the effort of accessing food and job opportunities. In 2024, 16.7 million people are expected to require assistance, the largest number ever since the beginning of the crisis in 2011.

• Syria remains a protection crisis. Children continue to be killed, women and girls continue to fear for their safety and 7.2 million Syrians remain in displacement, many of whom living in overcrowded camps. Unaddressed widespread unexploded ordnance (UXO) impacts people’s livelihoods and movements, with negative consequences for the long-term perspectives of people in need, rendering the prospects of durable solutions bleak. From 1 January to 31 October 2023, 454 civilians, including 88 women and 115 children, were killed as a result of the conflict. The lack and/or loss of civil documentation as well the lack, loss or destruction of housing, land and property documents remain serious issues for hundreds of thousands of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) with devastating physical and psychological effects and risks of statelessness.

• The February 2023 earthquakes in north Syria and Türkiye have added agony to an already catastrophic situation, increasing the strain on services, causing displacement, and inflicting widespread damage. The earthquakes resulted in almost 6,000 deaths and more than 12,800 people injured in Syria. Many families lost their main breadwinner due to death or injury, at a time when the economic situation was already dire, resulting in millions of people unable to meet their basic needs.
Recovery from the earthquakes will necessitate long-term funding and improved emergency preparedness.

• Severe military hostilities continued unabated, causing displacements, destruction of key infrastructure and suffering to a level unseen since 2019. Active hostilities and military operations, including artillery shelling and airstrikes, particularly in areas of mixed or contested control in the vicinity of frontlines, continued to impede humanitarian access. In October 2023, northern Syria and Deir-ez-Zor Governorate witnessed the most significant escalation of hostilities since 2019, resulting in the temporary displacement of over 153,000 people in north-west Syria. Humanitarian partners will continue to monitor the developments during 2024 to identify the impact on people in need and the humanitarian operation. Overall, 25 attacks on health facilities resulted in the death of 5 civilians and 20 injuries (including 5 health care workers) from January to December 2023. In addition, 27 schools and 20 water systems were impacted by shelling during the same period, affecting their functionality. Recontamination of conflict hotspots with explosive ordnance (EO) is likely to remain a threat to the populations for years to come.

• Syrians are getting poorer as the economy continues its freefall. Since February 2023, the Syrian pound (SYP) has lost about half of its value against the US dollar (US$), averaging, in November 2023, around SYP14,200/US$1 in the parallel foreign exchange market. From February to September 2023, inflation, as proxied by the World Food Programme (WFP) minimum food basket price index, rose by 88 per cent, driven by reduced access to goods, disrupted supply chains, and heightened logistics costs, all of which exerted significant upward pressure on prices.

• The erosion of service capacity continues, with deteriorated water and sanitation systems, and public health services under immense strain. Limited funding and migration of skilled human resources restrict the quality and availability of these services, putting more people at risk. Moreover, the increase in the number of people living in camps underlines the urgent need for improved services and minimum standards to ensure adequate living conditions.

• Recurrent disease outbreaks, waterborne diseases, a prolonged drought and water crisis, vaccine- preventable illnesses, and food insecurity are contributing factors to rising malnutrition rates. Rural Damascus, Idleb, Ar-Raqqa and Quneitra governorates have surpassed acceptable to stress Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) levels, while Lattakia Governorate reported an emergency-level GAM prevalence of 10 per cent.

• The multifaceted crisis in Syria creates continuous cycles of vulnerability, disproportionately impacting those most in need, including individuals with disabilities. People are deprived of basic services, which makes them more vulnerable and puts strain on social cohesion. Without urgent and sustained funding, essential services like water, sanitation, health care, electricity, and education will continue to deteriorate, pushing more people into desperate need, and increasing the risk to resort to negative coping mechanisms. Investing in essential basic services now is essential to pave the way for a more durable response and prevent an even larger crisis from unfolding.