Syria Humanitarian Fund Annual Report 2022

FOREWORD

I am pleased to share with you the 2022 Syria Humanitarian Fund (SHF) Annual Report. The document offers an in-depth look into how the Fund addressed urgent humanitarian needs of the most vulnerable people in Syria in 2022. It also provides an update on the management and accountability of the Fund, and a brief overview of allocations results.

In 2022, the Fund, with the generous contributions from 16 donors, allocated US$41.3 million to deliver humanitarian assistance to 1.6 million people in Syria. This would not have been possible without the tireless efforts of national and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and UN agencies – the recipients of SHF funding and the sectors’ supporting partners. Over the years, the ability of the SHF as a financing tool to respond quickly and with flexibility to address urgent needs proved invaluable. The first Reserve Allocation ($7 million) focused on providing health services and water, sanitation and hygiene assistance to address immediate needs stemming from the cholera outbreak in the affected areas and prevent/minimize its spread to other high-risk areas in Syria. The second Reserve Allocation ($3.5 million) supported the critically underfunded winterization response (less than 1 per cent of funding requirement had been secured by September 2022). The Standard Allocation ($30.8 million) supported life-saving interventions in worst-affected, difficult to access areas. It focused on strengthening the nutrition response and delivery of priority humanitarian assistance planned under the 2022-2023 Humanitarian Response Plan.

The SHF continued to show its added value and comparative advantages in 2022. The Fund has helped catalyze humanitarian access in Syria - especially in areas that are difficult to access in Deir-ez-Zor, Dar’a, Ar-Raqqa and Aleppo, among others. This was especially critical when other funding resources were limited, and SHF proved to be a vital enabling factor for partners. Seventy per cent of the SHF funding was allocated to national (16 per cent) and international (54 per cent) NGOs.

In the wake of the devastating earthquake in early 2023 in Türkiye and its catastrophic impact in Syria, the SHF is one of the pivotal tools to help strengthen a coordinated humanitarian response. The Fund in 2023 will continue to enable the process for promoting localization, as local organizations are best placed to respond in many cases.

We look forward to strengthening cooperation with our partners with the Fund serving as an integral mechanism in supporting the people of Syria.

Adam Abdulmoula
Humanitarian Coordinator for Syria