Unprecedented 16.7 Million Syrians Need Life-Saving Aid, Secretary-General Tells Brussels Conference, Urging International Community to Supply $9 Billion Needed
Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ video message to the Eighth Annual Brussels Conference “Supporting the Future of Syria and the Region”, in Brussels today:
I thank the European Union for once again hosting this Conference. And I am deeply sorry that this Conference is, once again, vital.
After 13 years of conflict and suffering, the people of Syria need our support more than ever. The number of people requiring humanitarian assistance now stands at the highest since the war began: 16.7 million people, or three in every four people in Syria.
More than half the population have been forced from their homes and are still living in temporary accommodation. Some 7 million displaced people are in Syria, while 5.6 million more are refugees in Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Türkiye, across Europe and beyond.
Many Syrian families are sliding ever deeper into poverty. Almost 13 million people are struggling to find enough food, and 9 out of 10 Syrian refugees find it difficult to meet their most basic needs.
This level of prolonged suffering cannot fail to produce terrible anguish and hopelessness. And we, as the international community, cannot let this go unchallenged. I urge you to rise to the occasion once more.
Almost $9 billion is required to respond to this humanitarian disaster inside Syria and in the region — the United Nations’ largest appeal worldwide. If we are to provide the life-saving, life-changing support that Syrians and host communities need, we need this funding. I thank you once again for your generous support.
In my previous role as High Commissioner for Refugees, I witnessed the enormous generosity of the Syrian people towards others, particularly Palestine and Iraqi refugees. It breaks my heart to see Syria now.
We need a concerted effort by all parties involved to end the conflict and enable Syrians to come together in a spirit of reconciliation. Honouring the diversity of the Syrian people, and respecting the human rights of all, is the only path towards stability and hope for the future.
Humanitarian assistance alone is not the answer to Syria’s crisis. It is time for a comprehensive and lasting political solution, in accordance with Security Council resolution 2254 (2015). It is time for all parties to put the needs of the Syrian people first.