CARE Organization: Brussels VIII Conference is a key opportunity to guarantee increasing the humanitarian fund to Syria

CARE humanitarian organization said that “The funding gaps have a disastrous impact on the societies in Syria, pointing out that Brussels VIII conference is a key opportunity to ensure the urgently required increase in humanitarian funding.”

The organization revealed in a statement that “despite the growing needs, the humanitarian response in Syria during 2023 faced an acute funding shortfall, with a huge gap reached 61% of the total requirements.” The situation is expected to worsen in 2024.

The organization made it clear that “the steady rise in the number of people who need humanitarian assistance to survive in Syria, in addition to the ongoing displacement due to escalation of violence in the various regions, shed light on the need for sustainable funding that steps up the resilience and self-reliance of Syrians and for the humanitarian response.”

CARE Syria’s Country Director, Jolien Veldwijk, said: “Budget cuts are impacting all sectors, including food, health, and shelter, adding that in a country where 90% of the population are estimated to be living under the poverty line, the funding gaps are having disastrous impacts on the communities we serve.”

Veldwijk confirmed that “The donors should prioritize direct funding to local actors, including to women led organization, who are best placed to deliver most cost effective, sustainable, culturally appropriate interventions with greater accountability to affected people, including women and girls.”

The statement stated that “millions of internally displaced persons and refugees continue to live in tents while suffering from mounting challenges in accessing the most basic of health and education services, pointing out to reducing the protection monitoring and response activities have scaled back, including critical gender-based violence services and safe centers for women and girls, who suffer the brunt of this crisis.”

The statement pointed out that ” Funding cuts by the World Food Programme (WFP) leading to a reduction of approximately 80% of the number of individuals benefitting from food assistance across Syria in 2024 are already having serious impact on child nutrition.”

The organization added that “Inadequate shelters also compound protection risks. Tents are designed to offer temporary emergency shelter for about 6-12 months, but in sites hosting IDPs inside Syria and neighboring countries hosting Syrian refugees, people have been living in tents for years.”

CARE Turkey Country Director, Rishana Haniffa, said “people who have been living in tents for five years or more, highlighting the urgency for dignified and durable shelter solutions that help reduce dependency on short-term funding cycles, reduce the need for yearly large-scale winter support programs, and increase resilience.”