Remarks at the Noon Briefing by David Carden, UN Deputy Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Syria Crisis [EN/AR]

21 April 2025, Gaziantep

As delivered

Thank you for having me in today’s noon briefing.

I am delighted to share that, after ten years, the position of Deputy Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Syria Crisis – which I currently hold – will be officially abolished as of tomorrow.

This is part of the UN’s transition efforts in a new Syria, with the aim of streamlining the coordination of the response, under the leadership of Damascus, by this June.

As Deputy Regional Humanitarian Coordinator, I have had the huge privilege of serving the people of Syria since 2023, having arrived in Gaziantep in southern Türkiye in the aftermath of the devastating earthquakes. Since then, I’ve led a dedicated community of aid workers from the UN and NGOs to deliver humanitarian assistance from Türkiye into north-west Syria.

But I was certainly not the first, having built on the legacy of my predecessors who have been part of this cross-border mechanism since 2014. This was a structure born out of necessity, amidst entrenched political divides, to ensure humanitarian access to the most vulnerable Syrians. It was the only way to deliver aid and services to north-west Syria – where 4.2 million people were in need of aid last year. For partners such as WFP, it is a cost-effective route to reach the most vulnerable throughout the country.

And it has been a successful cross-border humanitarian operation.

Since 2014, we have facilitated the delivery of more than 62,000 trucks of food, medical supplies, emergency shelters and other aid from Türkiye, 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.

The support extends far beyond the delivery of relief items to supporting people to rebuild their livelihoods and advocating for the protection of civilians in the face of constant shelling and airstrikes.

We have rehabilitated homes, schools and hospitals. We have provided critical health, education, and protection services to support the most vulnerable. We have moved displaced families out of worn-out tents into safer and more dignified shelters.

Since 2014, the Syria Cross-border Humanitarian Fund (SCHF), under my custodianship and that of my predecessors, has allocated almost US$1.1 billion to fund life-saving and early recovery projects. Last year, the Fund allocated nearly $67 million, amidst a challenging funding landscape, with 70 per cent directed to Syrian NGOs, who remain at the forefront of the response. Half of those supported are women and girls who bear the brunt of the conflict.

We were able to achieve all of this with the continuous support of donors and the international community, particularly the Government of Türkiye, which has over the years been very supportive of the cross-border humanitarian operation.

Now, times have changed. Today, we have a new Syria – one that is brimming with hope and opportunity.

But while the levels of conflict have subsided in many parts of the country, the humanitarian crisis in Syria is far from over. More than 16 million people today are in need of aid – that is seven out of every ten Syrians, the majority of whom are women and children. Over 40 per cent of the needs are concentrated in Idleb and Aleppo.

While we have seen a gradual increase in returnees this year, Syria remains one of the world’s largest displacement crises, with 7 million people displaced. Since last December, over 1 million internally displaced persons have returned, most of whom were displaced in the last two months of 2024. Around 225,000 people have departed from camps, but this still represents only a small fraction of the 2 million people living in camps across north-west and north-east Syria.

Last month, I led a mission to Saraqeb in Idleb, a former frontline area, where I spoke with returnees and mine action partners, who were doing critical work clearing minefields and destroying explosive remnants of war in order to facilitate returns. The devastation was overwhelming and more severe than anything I witnessed following the 2023 earthquakes.

The UN and its partners are doing what they can with the resources available. However, we are deeply alarmed by the lack of funding, which has already led to the suspension of water and sanitation services in camps, safe spaces for women and girls, and other humanitarian activities across Syria.

To date, the humanitarian community has secured $179 million – less than nine per cent of the $2 billion needed to help the most vulnerable until the end of June.

This is the time to invest in Syria, as the country is in a pivotal phase of transition, to help shape a more self-reliant future for its people and support safe and dignified returns. We hope that the humanitarian phase will be as short as possible, so we can move toward recovery and reconstruction — and, in that context, see the further easing of sanctions.

We are encouraged by the reduction in levels of conflict, and if this positive trajectory continues, people will have the chance to live in peace. This is what I’ve heard time and again from communities, having crossed into north-west Syria over 30 times in the past two years: people don’t want temporary relief. They want opportunities to earn a living and rebuild their lives with dignity.

The job of a humanitarian is to work themselves out of a job and help build the conditions where humanitarian aid is no longer needed. With the discontinuation of my post, I hope this also reflects Syria’s trajectory toward a brighter and more stable future.

The most vulnerable people in Syria deserve no less, and I wish them all the best.

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Contact:

Madevi Sun-Suon
Head of Communications and Reporting
OCHA Türkiye in Gaziantep
madevi.sun-suon@un.org