UN official concludes visit to Syria, says “Syria crisis is not over”
QAMISHLI, Iraq (North Press) – Joyce Msuya, the Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, said Friday that “Syria crisis is not over and Syria should not be forgotten.”
This came in a statement by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) after she concluded a three-day visit to Syria.
The statement mentioned that “Msuya met with affected families and renewed the United Nations’ commitment to helping those in need, urging donors to not let Syria become a forgotten crisis.”
“After more than a decade of conflict, there is no respite for civilians in Syria,” said Msuya.
“It was of utmost importance to me to visit the communities bearing the brunt of this crisis and to hear from the humanitarian teams working on the ground to help millions of vulnerable people across the country,” she added.
The Assistant Secretary-General visited projects supported by the Syria Humanitarian Fund, a country-based fund managed by the UN in Syria and where donors pool their donations.
The OCHA statement said that “about 14.6 million people need humanitarian aid this year – a nine per cent increase over 2021 and the highest number since the conflict began in 2011. Of these, 6.5 million are children.”
“In northwest Syria, where cross-border assistance remains a lifeline, 4.1 million people need aid and protection. Food insecurity remains extremely high across the country, affecting an estimated 12 million people,” OCHA noted.
According to the statement, “There are today 6.9 million internally displaced persons in Syria and 5.6 million Syrian refugees in the neighbouring countries and beyond.”
OCHA warned that the increase of those affected by the conflict would deepen the economic crisis, the ongoing displacement and climatic shocks, especially drought.
People are having hard time to secure even the most basic needs, forcing families into “negative ways of coping, including child labour, child marriage and the sale of productive assets,” OCHA said.
“More than 14 million people in Syria will lack critical aid, basic services and means for recovery this year if new funding is not provided,” read the statement.
During her three-day mission, Msuya met the Syrian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Dr. Faisal Mekdad and Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dr. Bashar al-Jafari. She discussed with two officials possible ways to broaden humanitarian access to reach people in need, protect civilians and help affected Syrians envision a better future.