GENEVA: The UN migration agency on Thursday expanded an aid appeal for Syria to $ 73.2 million to help more than 1.1 million people across the country over the coming six months.
International Organization for Migration (IOM) in a statement said the appeal is being made as Syria embarks on a transition period following the fall of Bashar Al-Assad’s government.
“IOM is committed to helping the people of Syria at this historical moment as the nation recovers from nearly 14 years of conflict,” said IOM Director General Amy Pope.
IOM will bring our deep experience in humanitarian assistance and recovery to help vulnerable communities across the country as we work with all partners to help build a better future for Syria,” said the statement.
The Geneva-based agency announced that it is working to restore its presence in Syria, after leaving Damascus in 2020. This effort builds on its two decades of experience in the country, as well as its cross-border activities over the past ten years to deliver aid to northwest Syria.
It said the funds will be used to provide essential relief items, cash assistance, shelter, protection services, as well as water, sanitation, hygiene, and healthcare. Additionally, early recovery support will be offered to individuals on the move, including those displaced, preparing to relocate, in transit, or newly arrived in new communities.
By the end of 2024, nearly 500,000 returns of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) have been recorded in northwest Syria, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
The conflict has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people in Syria, with millions more displaced either within the country or forced to seek refuge abroad. According to OCHA, 7.4 million people were displaced within Syria before the latest developments, with 2.3 million living in camps. Across the entire country, 16.7 million people depend on humanitarian assistance.
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IOM is also reactivating its Displacement Tracking Matrix to ensure comprehensive, country-wide assessments of needs and mobility, supporting the 2025 Humanitarian Programme Cycle led by OCHA. This is a crucial and urgent step to guide upcoming humanitarian and development planning.
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and allied groups launched a lightning offensive last month, seizing Damascus on December 8 and ousting long-time ruler Bashar al-Assad.
The new leader of Syria Ahmed al-Sharaa, had said his country is exhausted by war and is not a threat to its neighbours or the West. He also called on Western nations to lift the international sanctions imposed on the country.
