Country: Syrian Arab Republic Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Please refer to the attached file. New York, 15 May 2026 Thank you, Mr. President, and thank you to the Deputy Special Envoy [Claudio Cordone] for his briefing. As I briefed you last month, Syria is at a critical yet promising moment. We must consolidate humanitarian gains and invest in recovery. I will cover three points today. Firstly, progress is real, but fragile. Violence has decreased, sanctions have eased, humanitarian access has improved, returns of refugees and internally displaced people are increasing, but funding is still falling faster than needs, and if recovery is delayed, it will end up costing more lives and more money. Humanitarian needs remain significant. About two thirds of the population, over 15 million people, most of them women, girls, and children, require help this year. We prioritize women, girls and children in all our humanitarian action because they are so often on the front line of these crises. But current funding levels mean we will only reach about half of those in need. Large-scale returns to Syria are a very positive sign of change, but they are also increasing pressure on already limited services, housing, livelihoods and infrastructure. And pressure on the humanitarian response continues to rise. More than 390,000 people have crossed the border from Lebanon since early March. That is 90,000 [people] since we briefed you a month ago. More than 80 per cent of those arrivals are Syrian, and more than 86,000 have indicated an intention to stay permanently. Many need some level of support. At the same time, the prolonged closure of the Strait of Hormuz means that the cost of food and fuel is rising, with immediate consequences for communities already on the edge. Diesel is up 17 per cent, electricity by several hundred per cent in some areas, and while subsidized bread prices remain unchanged, the loaves are 12 per cent smaller. And flooding continues, notably in the north, where 13,000 people have been affected since late April, along with damage to roads, bridges, farming land and livestock. So, predictable and flexible humanitarian funding is essential to reach more people and make full use of improved access that we now have to many areas. I thank the donors who are stepping up to support the hyper-prioritized Syrian appeal, led by the US with US$160 million, the EU with $63 million and Japan with $42 million. However, almost halfway through the year, the humanitarian appeal still sits at barely more than 16 – one-six – per cent funded, with only $480 million received against the $2.9 billion needed. Almost 90 per cent of the money received comes from the U.S., the Europeans, Japan, and Canada. We are ready to receive funding from the rest of the world. Just this week, the impact of the funding shortages was stark. The World Food Program has been forced to reduce its emergency food assistance by 50 per cent – from reaching 1.3 million people to reaching 650,000. And also, it has had to halt its nationwide bread subsidy program that has supported millions each day. In the health system, we see the tension between progress and fragility. Over the past month, nearly 800 children under five received essential vaccinations, including polio. But at the same time, serious public health risks persist. Leishmaniasis cases have risen sharply this year in Aleppo. Nearly 150 measles cases were reported in the first four months of this year. Hepatitis A cases have also increased, and these trends reflect limited health services in many areas, and the ongoing risks from unsafe water and sanitation. Here, as elsewhere, when we are supported, we deliver. The UN and NGO partners, in cooperation with the Syrian Government, have reached communities across the country, including improving access to clean water for more than 3 million people, many in camps and displacement centers, and more than 2.2 million health interventions. For the people of Syria, the second tranche allocation announced yesterday by the US means further funding and support, allowing more partners to save more lives, and this will be on top of the current work of the Syria Humanitarian Fund that has allocated $145 million to life-saving interventions this year for communities most in need. Mr. President, A second point: investing in recovery is essential for stabilization. Over 3.4 million people in Syria returned in 2025, and that trend continues. More than 315,000 refugees returned in the first four months this year, and I expect returns to rise over the summer once the school year has ended. Higher returns, greater institutional stability, improved humanitarian access create a real opportunity to move beyond the long-standing emergency humanitarian response, as [Syrian] President [Ahmad] al-Sharaa stressed in Damascus last month, demining and protection remain paramount. And exploded ordinance remains a major threat, a key barrier to safe returns and economic recovery. It continues to kill and maim people across Syria. Since just 22nd of April, explosive ordnance has killed 15 people, including five children, and injured 37, including 14 children. And farming and raising cattle is especially dangerous. This is why the Government of Syria has identified a “No Mines” policy as a key pillar of its forward agenda, and we support this goal. Mr. President. Nearly 80 per cent of respondents to a nationwide survey said they were aware of gender-based violence incidents in their communities, most commonly domestic violence. Psychological abuse and early marriage also remain common, and delays or gaps in services can have fatal consequences. Child protection risks also remain acute. One in five respondents to our recent survey across nearly half of assessed communities reported risks, including violence, neglect, child labor and early enforced marriage. And many people in Syria report needing civil documentation and support to resolve housing, land and property issues – major obstacles to sustainable returns and drivers of social tension and exclusion. Mr. President, My third and final point. The Government of
