(Amman, 25 June, 2023) — Humanitarian funding from the European Union (EU) totalling EUR 8.6 million will enable the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) to deliver much-need care and protection to more than 600,000 Syrians throughout the country, primarily women and girls. The much-needed assistance, to be delivered between 2023 and 2025, comprises sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services and the prevention and response to gender-based violence (GBV), delivered from Damascus and cross-border from Türkiye.

“The impact of the protracted Syria crisis, now in its 13th year, has been catastrophic. Needs after the devastating earthquakes last February are at an all-time high across the country,” said Janez Lenarčič, European Commissioner for Crisis Management. “The EU is dedicated to sustaining a humanitarian lifeline for Syrian women and girls throughout Syria, recognising the unprecedented level of humanitarian needs and the ever-growing risks they face.”

In 2023, Syrians throughout the country are experiencing one of the worst years of this crisis, marked by widespread economic collapse, the disintegration of social and protection networks, climate-related challenges, and various other factors that have exacerbated pre-existing vulnerabilities. The number of people requiring humanitarian assistance has reached an all-time high of 15.3 million, including 7.7 million women and girls. Communities surviving extreme conditions in north-west Syria were pushed to the brink following the February 2023 earthquakes, which left hundreds of thousands of people — mostly women and children — without access to shelter, food, water, heating, healthcare assistance, and protection services. 

“We thank the EU for its unwavering commitment to the health and well-being of women and girls in humanitarian settings,” commented UNFPA’s Regional Director for the Arab States, Laila Baker. “Over the past years, the EU’s continued support of UNFPA’s programmes has enabled us to deliver much-needed SRH and protection services throughout Syria, including in rural and hard-to-reach areas where such services are rarely available.”

Between April 2022 and March 2023, UNFPA’s partnership with the EU helped deliver SRH services to more than 308,000 individuals, while more than 109,000 women and girls received protection from gender-based violence at a time when the risks of such violence were increasingly becoming normalised throughout the country. 

In 2023, UNFPA is continuing to tailor its programmes and operations to meet the surging needs on the ground and is consistently incorporating feedback and insights from women and girls served throughout the process. A regional impact assessment showed that 99 percent of those served reported their satisfaction with the assistance they received. 

About UNFPA

UNFPA is the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency. UNFPA's mission is to deliver a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe and every young person's potential is fulfilled. UNFPA calls for the realisation of reproductive rights for all and supports access to a wide range of sexual and reproductive health services, including voluntary family planning, quality maternal health care, and comprehensive sexuality education.

About EU Humanitarian Aid: 

The European Union and its Member States are the world's leading donor of humanitarian aid. Relief assistance is an expression of European solidarity with people in need all around the world. It aims to save lives, prevent and alleviate human suffering, and safeguard the integrity and human dignity of populations affected by human-made disasters or those caused by natural hazards. 

Through its Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations department, the European Union helps millions of victims of conflict and disasters every year. With headquarters in Brussels and a global network of field offices, the EU provides assistance to the most vulnerable people on the basis of humanitarian needs.

For more information, please contact:

In Cairo: Samir Aldarabi, Regional Media Adviser for the United Nations Population Fund for the Arab States Region, +201068484879, aldarabi@unfpa.org 

In Amman: Jafar Irshaidat, Communications Specialist, United Nations Population Fund / Regional Humanitarian Hub for Syria and the Arab States, +962797300157, irshaidat@unfpa.org