Please refer to the attached file.
Area-Based Humanitarian Action for Safe, Dignified Return and Safe Access in Priority, Underserved and Contamination-Affected Areas
The Humanitarian Coordinator for Syria has endorsed the Syria Humanitarian Fund (SHF) 2026 First Standard Allocation (SA1), releasing US$70 million. The SHF is managed by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) on behalf of the Humanitarian Coordinator.
In 2026, Syria remains at an important moment. Conflict intensity has declined and return dynamics have accelerated. At the same time, regional dynamics remain volatile, and the risk of spillover persists.
In this context, the Syria Humanitarian Fund is a key instrument to support the Humanitarian Coordinator’s efforts to consolidate recent progress and positive developments, while recognizing that humanitarian needs remain high in many areas, including locations of return, contamination and severe service gaps.
Within an integrated 2026 funding package of over US$235 million, launched with the Fast-track Reserve Allocation 1, followed by the CERF Underfunded Emergencies (UFE) window, this Standard Allocation 1 will help operationalize the Humanitarian Reset and the Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan (HNRP), and support flagship priorities around “No Camps,” “No Mines” and “safe and dignified Return,” at a time when the HNRP remains underfunded. SA1 provides timely, flexible and area-based support in priority return, underserved and contamination-affected locations, combining mine action as an enabling component with restoration of essential services and livelihoods, and making localization, innovation and inclusive, people-centred approaches core features of the delivery model, including stronger roles for national NGOs (NNGOs), women-led organizations (WLOs) and other local actors, alongside the flexibility to respond to emerging shocks.
Allocation focus
Within this context, SA1 will target IDPs in and out of camps, IDP returnees, refugee returnees and vulnerable residents in priority return areas, contamination-affected locations and underserved communities facing acute service gaps and heightened shock risk. It will do so through area-based, multisector interventions that support safe and dignified return and local integration, enable the “No Camps” and “No Mines” flagship priorities, and respond to needs identified through sector consultations and updated displacement and return analysis. The allocation recognizes that not all displaced people will be able to return in the short term and will therefore support dignified conditions in camps and areas of displacement, alongside assistance in areas of origin and return, ensuring that humanitarian funding remains impartial and needs-based even as it aligns with longer-term solutions and government planning frameworks.
Building on consultations with the Inter-Sector Coordination Group (ISCG), the Area Inter-Sector Coordination Groups (A-ISCG) and the SHF Advisory Board, and other stakeholders, and in line with the “One Strategy, Three Allocations” approach presented since early 2026, SA1 concentrates the Fund’s third step of the 2026 integrated financing package around three complementary programmatic envelopes: sustainable return and community integration; safe access and explosive-hazard clearance; and dedicated capacity to respond within 48 hours to sudden-onset shocks and displacement spikes wherever they occur in the country. Protection mainstreaming, gender equality, disability inclusion, accountability to affected people (AAP) and climate and environmental considerations remain central throughout prioritization, design and delivery.