Syria Humanitarian Fund Annual Report 2016

HUMANITARIAN CONTEXT

Conflict remains the main cause of Syria humanitarian crisis and almost the whole country is affected. Violence increased towards the end of 2016 resulting in thousands of deaths and injuries, increased internal displacement, large scale migration and loss of livelihoods.
Over and above the suffering arising from hostilities, civilians’ suffering is compounded by human rights violations. Parties to the conflict continue to subject civilians to campaigns of harassment, arbitrary arrests, abduction, detention torture and illtreatment.
Methods of warfare also increase civilians’ vulnerability as across the country, 643,780 people are subjected to military siege, and 4,077,261 others are hardto-reach for humanitarians due to a combination of factors. These geographic locations were a priority in the SHF 2016 strategy.
The drastic decline of the economy has exacerbated Syria’s humanitarian situation. In the course of almost six years, the conflict has devastated Syria’s economy, resulting in economic losses estimated at more than $254 billion. Conflict has damaged or destroyed Syria ‘s infrastructure, impeded access to sources of income, disrupted markets, and triggered currency depreciation. Economic losses from the disruption to the education system are estimated around $11 billion, equivalent to about 18 per cent of Syria’s 2010 gross domestic product (GDP) further damaging long term economic prospects.
Food production has been drastically reduced, with the total area of land under cultivation having shrunk by 40 per cent. Compounded by difficulties in distributing food staples, a third of the population is now food insecure. Government revenues have plummeted largely due to the decrease in oil exports and disruption of trade. As a result, the country’s GDP has contracted by 55 per cent with further contraction expected.
In the absence of a solution to the conflict, the humanitarian needs will continue to increase because of the prolonged conflict as well as weakened social safety nets. In this light, humanitarian assistance will continue to be a pillar in alleviating the suffering of the most affected communities. The SHF will, if well resourced, continue to cover critical lifesaving priority needs in line with the Humanitarian Response Plan, and the strategy agreed to by its advisory board.