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Syria ranks third on the International Rescue Committee’s annual Emergency Watch List of 20 countries most at risk of worsening the humanitarian crisis in the coming year. Here’s what you need to know about the humanitarian emergency in Syria.
As of 2021, Syria has spent a decade in conflict. Ongoing attacks on civilians, humanitarian workers and infrastructure leave many living in areas of perpetual conflict or forced to flee their homes, many doing so multiple times.
Hospitals have also been destroyed by this ongoing conflict, decimating Syria’s healthcare system. As a result, Syrians have been struggling to cope with the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 crisis. Humanitarian workers must be able to provide life-saving care and services to those in need, but the conflict continues to restrict their access and makes it dangerous for them to provide aid. This is why, in 2019, Syria was ranked as the world’s deadliest country for humanitarian workers.
“The pandemic is just one of many challenges that IRC teams and the people we serve have had to deal with over the past ten years,” says Taj-aldein Alkaisi, IRC’s acting director of operations in Syria. “Through it all, we keep going.”
Humanitarian risks in 2021
Here are four reasons why Syria is one of the countries with the highest risk of humanitarian catastrophe in 2021:
The ongoing conflict is likely to cause great instability.
After a decade of conflict, the situation in northwestern Syria is at stake. The fighting in 2019 and early 2020 forced nearly a million people to flee their homes, many times multiple times. While the Turkish-Russian ceasefire finally reduced hostilities in 2020, there is now the risk of major new offensives, especially if that fragile ceasefire is broken.
The rest of the country is also at risk of escalating conflicts. The Islamic State remains active in the northeast and government-controlled areas in the south have already seen violence erupt as tensions rise over major complaints among the local population that remain unresolved, along with COVID-19. and economic instability.
COVID-19 is exacerbating the economic crisis.
Fuel, water and food prices have risen since the 2019 banking crisis in Lebanon, which hit Syria’s economy hard. Food prices, in particular, have reached record levels and have risen almost 240% in one year. As a result, 9.3 million Syrians, more than ever, are food insecure. IRC teams also report an increase in child labor and people begging on the streets.
The devastating economic crisis is further complicating the situation, making it even more difficult for humanitarian agencies to deliver aid. Fuel shortages and banking restrictions in neighboring states are expected to further undermine the ability of humanitarian workers to reach millions in need with their services and resources.
Women and children will be particularly affected by the effects of COVID-19.
Syrian women and girls have long lagged behind men in human development measures. Syria is ranked as the third least equitable country for women in the Women, Peace and Security Index and the seventh lowest in the Gender Development Index of the United Nations Development Program. Women in Syria also have higher levels of poverty than men.
Due to these inequalities, the impact of the declining economy and the COVID-19 pandemic is expected to negatively affect Syrian women in particular. There has already been an increase in child labor, gender-based violence and child marriage.
Humanitarian workers are increasingly restricted from providing life-saving aid.
Syria is the deadliest country in the world for humanitarian workers, accounting for the highest number of attacks against humanitarian workers and the most deaths of humanitarian workers in 2019. In 2020, the UN Security Council did not reauthorize the use of various border crossings by UN agencies. reduce the flow of aid to vulnerable Syrians.
Increasing security threats and restrictions will make it even more difficult for humanitarian workers to deliver aid in 2021. Millions of Syrians are at risk of losing their livelihoods for medical supplies as COVID-19 threatens to spread and the economic crisis worsens.
For quotes, additional information on the Syrian crisis in 2021, and IRC’s recommendations for international response, see the full report of the 2021 Emergency Watch List.
The IRC’s response to the crisis in Syria
The International Rescue Committee has been working in Syria since 2012, supporting health facilities and mobile health teams with life-saving trauma, primary, reproductive and mental health services. Our early childhood development program also helps children develop the cognitive and social-emotional skills they need to grow and thrive.
The IRC also promotes COVID-19 awareness and trains healthcare workers to prevent and control the spread of the virus. We also support vulnerable Syrians by providing food and cash assistance and helping women and children access safe spaces.
Learn more about IRC’s response to Syria.
IRC also supports Syrian refugees in Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Europe, and the United States.
Emergency Watch List 2021
The annual Emergency Watch List is a global list of humanitarian crises that IRC expects to deteriorate significantly over the course of the next year. Read about the top 10 countries in crisis on the list and download the 2021 Emergency Watch List report.
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