U.S. Agency for International Development

Syria

Syrian Red Crescent staff carry sacs of food at a distribution center for internally displaced people in Damascus.

AFP Photo/STR

The United States is committed to helping the innocent children, women, and men affected by the ongoing conflict in Syria.

More than 18 months after the Assad regime began its brutal assault on its own people, the humanitarian situation is dire. Two and a half million people in Syria are in need of humanitarian assistance, approximately 1.2 million people are internally displaced, and over 295,000 people have fled to the neighboring countries of Jordan, Turkey, Lebanon, and Iraq.

On September 28, Secretary Clinton announced the United States is providing nearly $30 million in additional humanitarian assistance to help those affected by the conflict in Syria. With this new assistance, the United States is providing more than $132 million in fiscal year 2012 in humanitarian assistance to help more than 975,000 people inside Syria and the nearly 300,000 who have fled to the safety of neighboring countries.

Latest Syria Fact Sheet

(FY 2013) Syria Complex Emergency Fact Sheet #1 (286kb PDF) and map (524kb PDF)

(FY 2012) Syria Complex Emergency Fact Sheet #4 (169kb PDF)

U.S. Government Humanitarian Program Map (384kb PDF)

Key Developments

IIn the past several weeks fighting in Syria has intensified, particularly in Dayr az Zawr, Aleppo, Damascus, and Dar’a governorates. The fighting has resulted in increased displacement within Syria, including displacement of some Syrians for a second or third time. Approximately 45,000 Syrians fled to neighboring countries during the first three weeks of September, according to the U.N. Fighting near Syria’s borders with Turkey and Jordan has increased, in some cases hindering vulnerable populations from fleeing to safety across international borders.

The humanitarian situation in Syria continues to deteriorate, according to the U.N. Checkpoints, roadblocks, road closures, and insecurity—both directly related to the conflict and as a result of an upsurge in criminal activity—are constraining humanitarian access. The U.N. has observed an increase in kidnappings and car-jackings in recent weeks, compounding the threats to humanitarian workers, particularly local staff.

The U.N.—in conjunction with the Syrian Arab Republic Government (SARG)—released a revised Syria Humanitarian Response Plan (SHRP) at the Syria Humanitarian Forum in Geneva, Switzerland, on September 7, requesting $348 million to support humanitarian programs inside Syria. The U.N. released a revised version of the Syria Regional Response Plan (RRP) on September 27, requesting approximately $488 million to support scaled-up relief efforts to address the needs of people displaced from Syria to Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey.

On September 28, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced that the United States is providing nearly $30 million in additional humanitarian assistance to help those affected by the conflict in Syria. This assistance includes $14.4 million to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to provide medical supplies, emergency medical care, shelter materials, blankets, and basic household necessities; $8 million to the U.N. Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) to assist Palestinian refugees affected by the violence; $4.76 million to the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to assist displaced and conflict affected Syrians inside Syria; $1.3 million to the U.N. World Health Organization (WHO); and $1 million to the U.N. Children’s Fund (UNICEF).