UNICEF warns millions of Syrian children at risk amid funding shortfall
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – UNICEF warned on Wednesday that millions of children and families across Syria remain in dire need of humanitarian assistance as its 2025 appeal is only 33 percent funded.
According to a UNICEF report, around 1.9 million internally displaced persons and nearly 1.1 million Syrian refugees have returned to their areas of origin, but most face ongoing insecurity, destroyed infrastructure, and limited access to essential services.
The report highlighted that some 187,000 people remain displaced following the escalation of violence in Suwayda Governorate in July, with limited access to basic services and protection.
Since December 2024, at least 155 children have been killed and 359 injured in 760 explosive ordnance incidents.
UNICEF and its partners have reached more than 8.2 million people this year—over half of them children—through health, education, water, sanitation, nutrition, and child protection programs, according to the report.
The agency urged the international community to increase funding to sustain life-saving operations, warning that insufficient support will leave children at greater risk of violence, disease, and deprivation.
Syria remains one of the world’s most complex humanitarian crises after 14 years of conflict, with over 15 million people in need of aid and millions displaced by insecurity and economic collapse.