Syria is ‘brimming with hope and opportunity’: Senior UN aid official

This article is published in association with United Nations.

Now is the time to invest in Syria, and support people returning to the country and their communities, the outgoing UN Deputy Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Syria Crisis said on Monday. 

“Today, we have a new Syria, one that’s brimming with hope and opportunity,” David Carden told journalists at UN Headquarters in New York.

He warned, however, that “while the levels of conflict have subsided in many parts of the country, the humanitarian crisis in Syria is far from over,” as 16 million people require assistance.

Cross-border mechanism

The country is on a path to political transition following the overthrow of the Assad regime last December and the end of nearly 14 years of civil war.   The country and neighbouring Türkiye were also hit by deadly earthquakes in February 2023.

The UN is working with the transitional authorities in Damascus to develop more efficient procedures for aid delivery, address issues such as the lack of public funding, and further streamline procedures.

Mr. Carden was speaking from across the Turkish border in Gazantiep, where a UN mechanism has delivered aid into northwest Syria and beyond for over a decade.

He announced that his position will be officially abolished as of Tuesday – part of the UN’s transition efforts aimed at streamlining coordinated response in Syria under the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Damascus, by the end of June.

The current structure – which he later noted was “rather unique in the global context” – involved having different coordinators outside Syria supporting the delivery of assistance into the country.

More than aid delivery

The top official briefed on the accomplishments of the cross-border mechanism, which was authorized by the UN Security Council in July 2014 to allow aid into areas in northwest Syria that were not under government control and home to more than four million people.

The operation has facilitated the delivery of more than 62,000 trucks of food, medical supplies, emergency shelter and other aid, reaching millions of Syrians each month. 

“So far this year, the UN has dispatched 936 trucks with aid for all of Syria through this cross-border modality, which is more than the whole of last year,” he said.

Humanitarian support extended far beyond the delivery of relief items, he added.

Over the years, the UN and partners have helped Syrians to rebuild their livelihoods while also advocating for the protection of civilians in the face of constant shelling and air strikes.  They also carried out other activities, including rehabilitating homes, schools and hospitals, and providing critical health education and protection services. 

Additionally, the Syria Cross-border Humanitarian Fund has allocated nearly $1.1 billion for life-saving and early recovery projects. 

© UNICEF/Khalil Ashawi

A girl walks amid widespread destruction in Aleppo, Syria, left behind after 14 years of war.

‘Times have changed’

Mr. Carden said this was possible through the continuous support of donors and the international community, particularly the Government of Türkiye which has been very supportive of the cross-border mechanism.

“Now, times have changed,” he said, pointing to the 16 million in need in Syria, or some 70 per cent of the population. Most are women and children, and over 40 per cent are in the northwestern cities of Idlib and Aleppo.

Furthermore, despite a gradual increase in Syrian returnees this year, some seven million people are displaced making it among the world’s largest displacement crises.

Displacement and devastation

“Since last December, more than one million internally displaced people have returned, but most of whom were displaced in the last two months of 2024,” he said.

“Around 225,000 people have departed from camps, but this still represents only a small fraction of the two million people living in camps across northwest and northeast Syria.” 

Last month, Mr. Carden visited a former frontline area in Idlib and spoke to returnees as well as aid partners working to clear minefields and destroy explosive remnants of war.  The devastation there “was absolutely overwhelming and more severe than anything I witnessed following the 2023 earthquakes,” he said.

Meanwhile, the UN and partners “are doing what they can with the resources available,” but lack of funding is deeply alarming.

Invest in Syria

Humanitarians are seeking $2 billion to support Syrians through the end of June and have so far secured just $179 million – less than nine per cent of the funding needed.

“This is the time to invest in Syria, as the country is in a pivotal stage of transition to help shape a more self-reliant future for its people and to support safe and dignified returns,” said Mr. Carden.

He expressed hope that “the humanitarian phase will be as short as possible so we can move towards recovery and reconstruction and, in that context, see the further easing of sanctions.”