The United Nations is sounding the alarm over the deepening humanitarian crisis in Syria, with officials warning that a severe lack of funding threatens to undermine fragile progress and exacerbate the suffering of millions. On Wednesday, UN officials briefing the UN Security Council also highlighted the urgent need for increased international support for the country's political transition, including sanctions relief and political engagement.
The Syria crisis, one of the world's largest humanitarian crises, continues to unfold with new challenges and intensifying needs. More than 16.7 million Syrians remain in need of humanitarian assistance and protection, with women and children being disproportionately affected.
On Wednesday, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) told the Security Council that Syria remains one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises, affecting more than 70 percent of the population, and that developments on the ground continue to deepen people’s needs.
“Syria’s humanitarian crisis is longstanding, but it is not static. Developments on the ground continue to add to or exacerbate people’s needs,” said Ramesh Rajasingham, the director of OCHA's Humanitarian Sector Division, while briefing the 15-member organ.
The country remains fragmented among various armed actors, while ongoing conflicts and human rights violations threaten stability and peace.
“Clashes in parts of Aleppo earlier this month caused civilian casualties and temporarily displaced some families,” Rajasingham said, speaking on behalf of Tom Fletcher, the UN relief chief and Emergency Relief Coordinator.
“While the ceasefire in As-Sweida has largely held, the fragile and unpredictable security environment continues to affect the movement of people and goods.”
Rajasingham added that these factors have led to shortages and high prices of critical items such as fuel and bread, hindered the restoration of essential services like healthcare and water, and prevented displaced individuals from returning home.
“Explosive ordnance continues to take a deadly toll. Last week alone, 16 incidents were recorded across the country, killing three people and injuring 19 others, including six children. Since December, more than 550 people have been killed in such incidents, and over 800 more injured, nearly a third of them children,“ he said.
“Amid the historic drought conditions, wildfires in Lattakia, Tartous and Homs governorates affected over 5,000 people during the past month, displacing dozens of families, damaging agricultural land and disrupting essential services,” he noted, stressing that “all this comes on top of the longstanding needs in the country.”
Funding gap threatens fragile progress
Emphasizing that approximately 7 million people remain internally displaced in Syria, including 1.3 million living in camps that are highly vulnerable to winter conditions, he stated that despite reduced funding, the UN and its partners are currently providing assistance to an average of 3.4 million people each month across Syria, which is 25 percent more than during the same period in 2024.
However, to date, this year's humanitarian response plan for Syria is only 20 percent funded, which is one of the lowest levels among the largest UN-coordinated appeals.
“This month, water trucking services for internally displaced people in parts of Ar-Raqqa were suspended, and trucking in Al-Hasakeh will be curtailed next month without more resources,” Rajasingham said while noting that the World Food Programme (WFP) will have to scale back their assistance by January without additional funding.
“Over 340 health facilities have suspended services, reducing access to healthcare and medicine for more than 7 million people," he said, giving another example of the consequences of the shortfalls.
“Funding cuts have closed at least 45 service points for survivors of gender-based violence this year. This comes as a new report from UNFPA highlights that – despite a surge in hope around the transition in Syria – many women and girls continue to report widespread insecurity and gender-based violence.”
Provide more funding for critical humanitarian aid and invest in sustainable recovery
Rajasingham stressed the need for additional funding for critical humanitarian aid and tangible investments in development and reconstruction as soon as possible.
“The reduction in conflict, steps to ease or remove sanctions, and substantial interest in private investment – particularly from the region – have created real opportunities. But we need concrete steps to mobilize resources, and to do so quickly,” he said.
He mentioned the hopeful sign that over one million refugees have returned to Syria since December, but he cautioned that these returns will not be sustainable without investments in shelters, services, and reconstruction.
Against this backdrop, the OCHA official outlined three priorities: de-escalating ongoing flashpoints and preventing new ones, securing more funding, and investing in sustainable recovery.
“Syria has a viable path forward towards Syrian-led recovery, supported by development partners, and away from reliance on a massive emergency humanitarian operation. We should push ourselves to move quickly along this path,” he said.
“But we should also be under no illusion that getting there will require decisive and sustained action from the international community, including maintaining the flow of critical humanitarian aid as these efforts advance.”
Sustained international engagement and urgent sanctions relief needed
In the wake of the dramatic events of December 2024, when a popular uprising ousted longtime Syrian president Bashar al-Assad, the Secretary-General’s Deputy Special Envoy for the country told the Security Council on Wednesday that sustained international engagement and urgent sanctions relief are now needed to support the country’s political transition.
During her briefing, Najat Rochdi said that international engagement must ensure the meaningful inclusion of women and minorities, as well as defend Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The Syria crisis, which began in 2011, drastically changed the political landscape of the Middle Eastern country, and it continues to present major challenges. Following the ousting of longtime Syrian president al-Assad in December 2024, a new transitional government led by interim president Ahmad al-Sharaa took office.
Rochdi emphasized the significant sacrifices made by Syrian women and their essential role in the country's future. In December 2024, Syrian women joined the celebrations of a new era, expecting relief from hardship and a commitment to a lasting transition towards the rule of law and true equality.
The country’s interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, affirmed his commitment to this aspiration. However, in the subsequent months, the transition’s initial outcomes have not matched the expectations of many Syrian women.
Rochdi pointed out that only six women were elected to the People’s Assembly out of 119 contested seats, and that only two of the 11 members of the Supreme Committee for Elections are women. Furthermore, women made up only 13 percent of the 1,400 candidates.
“Syrian women expect, and demand, future electoral processes designed to protect their legitimate right to participate and to maximize opportunities for their representation,” she stressed.
Welcoming the largely peaceful, indirect elections for the transitional People’s Assembly held on October 5, she said that while the UN was not directly involved, it counseled for transparent and inclusive elections that represent all Syrians.
Of the 119 members elected thus far, only one is Christian, and there are three Ismailis, three Alawites, and four Kurds, but no members of the Druze community, she noted, emphasizing that more improvements in representation are needed.
“The staggering consequences of 14 years of conflict and over half a century of dictatorship [have had] heavy consequences,” she said, calling for “monumental levels of tangible support” from the international community.
Sanctions must be lifted on a larger and quicker scale for Syria’s transition to succeed. The parties should also peacefully advance the March 10 agreement between the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Transitional Government, who have been in conflict since the fall of the Assad government.
Israel should also end its territorial incursions, she stressed, adding: “It is unacceptable that external interference in Syria continues.”
The scale of the Syria crisis
Syria is experiencing one of the world’s most severe and complex humanitarian emergencies, driven by protracted conflict, economic collapse, and climate-related disasters. The situation is especially dire in north-west and northern Syria, where the cumulative impact of conflict, the February 2023 earthquake, and recurring climate shocks has resulted in widespread destruction of infrastructure and essential services.
For the past fourteen years, Syrian civilians have endured massive and systematic violations of international humanitarian and human rights law. Despite significant political changes in the country in recent months, the Syrian people continue to endure one of the world's largest humanitarian crises.
The war has devastated Syria's economy and infrastructure, leaving millions without adequate housing, reliable access to water and electricity, and other basic services. Although there has been some progress, Syria's humanitarian needs remain immense. Years of conflict have pushed 90 percent of the population into poverty.
As of October, approximately 1.1 million Syrians have returned from other countries, and nearly 1.9 million internally displaced people (IDPs) have returned to their areas of origin or choice since December 8, 2024. However, about 900,000 people have been newly displaced in 2025 alone.
Currently, some 7 million people remain displaced within Syria, and over 5 million are living as refugees abroad. Over half of the population — 12.9 million people — is food insecure, with nearly 3 million facing severe food insecurity.
The health system is severely strained, with more than one-third of hospitals operating only partially or not at all, and access to care for maternal health, newborns, and chronic diseases is extremely limited.
Further information
Full text: As Syrians deal with critical aid cuts, OCHA appeals to the Security Council for funding, Ramesh Rajasingham, Director of OCHA's Humanitarian Sector Division, briefing to the Security Council on the humanitarian situation in Syria, released October 22, 2025
https://www.unocha.org/news/syrians-deal-critical-aid-cuts-ocha-appeals-security-council-funding
Full text: United Nations Deputy Special Envoy for Syria Najat Rochdi - Briefing to the Security Council (22 October 2025), Office of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Syria, briefing, released October 22, 2025
https://specialenvoysyria.unmissions.org/sites/default/files/2025-10-22_secco_un_deputy_special_envoy_for_syria_ms._najat_rochdi_briefing_as_delivered.pdf